2024 NDSEG Conference New Orleans Marriott

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2024 NDSEG Conference New Orleans Marriott

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Agendaof the virtual event schedule

Agenda

  • SUNDAY JULY 14, 2024
  • MONDAY JULY 15, 2024
  • TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2024
  • WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2024
  • THURSDAY JULY 18, 2024
July 14, 2024 18:00

Welcome

Galerie Ballrooms (4-5-6), 2nd Floor

A Welcome Greeting from DoD Tri-Service Agency Representatives

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Ellen Robinson
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

Ellen Robinson

Ellen M. Robinson is a Senior General Engineer in the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Science and Engineering Division, Science and Engineering Collaboration Branch, Arlington, VA. Mrs. Robinson has served over eight years as a Program Manager for AFOSR STEM workforce development initiatives within the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) (AFRL) enterprise. She manages the AFRL Science and Technology Fellowship Program (STFP), the AFOSR Young Investigators Research Program (YIP), and the AFOSR Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE). Mrs. Robinson also serves as the AFRL Program Manager and the Department of Defense (DoD) Program Manager for the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) Program. She currently serves as the Contracting Officer Representative for two STEM fellowship program contracts. These programs are crucial in developing and bolstering the DoD STEM future pipeline for scientists and engineers (S&Es) in DoD relevant research areas and shaping future DoD research needs. These programs also support post-docs and senior researchers whose research aligns and supports the DoD and Department of the Air Force (DAF), including the United States Space Force, missions. In these roles, she develops STEM workflow development policies in innovative, high risk high reward research, plans and executes budgets totaling over $200M annually for early career scientists and engineers and STEM graduate scholars.Since joining the Air Force as a civilian in November 1989, Mrs. Robinson has served in several roles in the Aeronautical Systems Center and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) including avionics design and laser optical communications design engineer, business and financial management, strategic development planning and programming. Prior to her current assignment, Mrs. Robinson was Deputy Program Manager in the STEM development office where she developed an AF wide K-12 AF STEM Outreach education program establishing policies and programs to interest K-12 students in STEM academic studies and careers of AF mission needs. She was instrumental in establishing the AF blueprint in the DoD STEM portfolio. She also co-authored with her DoD sister services STEM workforce development initiatives for near, mid, and far term.She has used her depth of experience in strategic planning, budgeting, and execution in forecasting specific STEM needs vital for the future workforce as it relates to DoD and DAF missions.
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Ivory Chaney
Army Research Laboratory-Army Research Office (ARO)

Ivory Chaney

Ivory Chaney, MBA, PACE, is the Educational Outreach Program Manager at the Army Research Laboratory’s Army Research Office (ARO). She manages and oversees the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) that encompasses more than 100 high school and undergraduate apprenticeships at more than 50 universities to attract top STEM talent to the Army. Ms. Chaney also oversees local and national STEM outreach initiatives and heads the Army’s participation in the tri-service National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship Program for up to 150 fellows each year. Ms. Chaney served 21 years in the Marine Corps Reserves with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. During her tenure, she was responsible for serving in a variety of leadership roles as well as serving as an inspector for the 2nd Marine Division that managed assets of more than $5 billion. She received the Joint Commendation Medal for exceptional service, multiple Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and the Army Commendation Medal for Civilian Service. Ms. Chaney also serves as a certified Sexual Assault Victim Advocate for the Department of Defense and Collateral Duty Equal Employment Opportunity Counselor. She earned both a Masters and Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Liberty University. Additionally, she holds a certification in project management from Cornell University. ARO is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory, the Army's national research laboratory also known as DEVCOM ARL.
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William Ellis
Office of Naval Research

William Ellis

July 14, 2024 18:05

Speed Research

Galerie Ballrooms (4-5-6), 2nd Floor
Ice Breakers for Fellows to get aquainted
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Ellen Robinson
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

Ellen Robinson

Ellen M. Robinson is a Senior General Engineer in the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Science and Engineering Division, Science and Engineering Collaboration Branch, Arlington, VA. Mrs. Robinson has served over eight years as a Program Manager for AFOSR STEM workforce development initiatives within the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) (AFRL) enterprise. She manages the AFRL Science and Technology Fellowship Program (STFP), the AFOSR Young Investigators Research Program (YIP), and the AFOSR Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE). Mrs. Robinson also serves as the AFRL Program Manager and the Department of Defense (DoD) Program Manager for the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) Program. She currently serves as the Contracting Officer Representative for two STEM fellowship program contracts. These programs are crucial in developing and bolstering the DoD STEM future pipeline for scientists and engineers (S&Es) in DoD relevant research areas and shaping future DoD research needs. These programs also support post-docs and senior researchers whose research aligns and supports the DoD and Department of the Air Force (DAF), including the United States Space Force, missions. In these roles, she develops STEM workflow development policies in innovative, high risk high reward research, plans and executes budgets totaling over $200M annually for early career scientists and engineers and STEM graduate scholars.Since joining the Air Force as a civilian in November 1989, Mrs. Robinson has served in several roles in the Aeronautical Systems Center and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) including avionics design and laser optical communications design engineer, business and financial management, strategic development planning and programming. Prior to her current assignment, Mrs. Robinson was Deputy Program Manager in the STEM development office where she developed an AF wide K-12 AF STEM Outreach education program establishing policies and programs to interest K-12 students in STEM academic studies and careers of AF mission needs. She was instrumental in establishing the AF blueprint in the DoD STEM portfolio. She also co-authored with her DoD sister services STEM workforce development initiatives for near, mid, and far term.She has used her depth of experience in strategic planning, budgeting, and execution in forecasting specific STEM needs vital for the future workforce as it relates to DoD and DAF missions.
speaker headshot

Ivory Chaney
Army Research Laboratory-Army Research Office (ARO)

Ivory Chaney

Ivory Chaney, MBA, PACE, is the Educational Outreach Program Manager at the Army Research Laboratory’s Army Research Office (ARO). She manages and oversees the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) that encompasses more than 100 high school and undergraduate apprenticeships at more than 50 universities to attract top STEM talent to the Army. Ms. Chaney also oversees local and national STEM outreach initiatives and heads the Army’s participation in the tri-service National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship Program for up to 150 fellows each year. Ms. Chaney served 21 years in the Marine Corps Reserves with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. During her tenure, she was responsible for serving in a variety of leadership roles as well as serving as an inspector for the 2nd Marine Division that managed assets of more than $5 billion. She received the Joint Commendation Medal for exceptional service, multiple Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and the Army Commendation Medal for Civilian Service. Ms. Chaney also serves as a certified Sexual Assault Victim Advocate for the Department of Defense and Collateral Duty Equal Employment Opportunity Counselor. She earned both a Masters and Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Liberty University. Additionally, she holds a certification in project management from Cornell University. ARO is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory, the Army's national research laboratory also known as DEVCOM ARL.
July 14, 2024 18:50

Senior Leaders Discussions

Galerie Ballrooms (4-5-6), 2nd Floor
Who we are and where we come from
July 14, 2024 19:30

BREAK

Galerie Ballroom (4,5,6), 2nd Floor, Lobby Area
Light Refreshments
July 14, 2024 20:00

DoD Agency Breakouts

Galerie Ballroom (4), 2nd Floor
Air Force Agency Breakout (Fellows Supported by the AFOSR)
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Ellen Robinson
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

Ellen Robinson

Ellen M. Robinson is a Senior General Engineer in the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Science and Engineering Division, Science and Engineering Collaboration Branch, Arlington, VA. Mrs. Robinson has served over eight years as a Program Manager for AFOSR STEM workforce development initiatives within the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) (AFRL) enterprise. She manages the AFRL Science and Technology Fellowship Program (STFP), the AFOSR Young Investigators Research Program (YIP), and the AFOSR Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE). Mrs. Robinson also serves as the AFRL Program Manager and the Department of Defense (DoD) Program Manager for the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) Program. She currently serves as the Contracting Officer Representative for two STEM fellowship program contracts. These programs are crucial in developing and bolstering the DoD STEM future pipeline for scientists and engineers (S&Es) in DoD relevant research areas and shaping future DoD research needs. These programs also support post-docs and senior researchers whose research aligns and supports the DoD and Department of the Air Force (DAF), including the United States Space Force, missions. In these roles, she develops STEM workflow development policies in innovative, high risk high reward research, plans and executes budgets totaling over $200M annually for early career scientists and engineers and STEM graduate scholars.Since joining the Air Force as a civilian in November 1989, Mrs. Robinson has served in several roles in the Aeronautical Systems Center and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) including avionics design and laser optical communications design engineer, business and financial management, strategic development planning and programming. Prior to her current assignment, Mrs. Robinson was Deputy Program Manager in the STEM development office where she developed an AF wide K-12 AF STEM Outreach education program establishing policies and programs to interest K-12 students in STEM academic studies and careers of AF mission needs. She was instrumental in establishing the AF blueprint in the DoD STEM portfolio. She also co-authored with her DoD sister services STEM workforce development initiatives for near, mid, and far term.She has used her depth of experience in strategic planning, budgeting, and execution in forecasting specific STEM needs vital for the future workforce as it relates to DoD and DAF missions.
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Kevin Geiss, PhD
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)/Air Force Office of Scientific Research

Kevin Geiss, PhD

Dr. Kevin T. Geiss, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Director, Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) (Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)), Arlington, Va. Dr. Geiss leads the management of the United States Department of the Air Force’s global basic research investment. AFOSR has a staff of 200+ scientist, engineers and business professionals in Arlington, Virginia and international offices in the United Kingdom, Japan, Brazil, Chile, and Australia. In this role, Dr. Geiss ensures the success of a $400+ million per year basic research investment portfolio and the transfer of resulting discoveries to Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Directorates, to defense industries and to other federal agencies. The office’s annual investment in basic research is distributed among roughly 200 leading academic institutions worldwide, 100 industry-based contracts, and more than 250 internal Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) research efforts. Dr. Geiss was formerly with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology (OASD(S&T)) at the Pentagon, where he last served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Science and Technology Futures. In that position, he was responsible for the integration and oversight of Department of Defense (DoD) science and technology (S&T) investment and guided technologies needed for continued technological superiority of United States military forces. Dr. Geiss enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in 1986 and served in field artillery, communications and military police units during his service. He spent nine years as a defense contractor supporting Air Force research programs at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He began his civilian career with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in 2002. He was then detailed to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he performed policy and budget review of national security science and technology programs, resolved policy and funding issues, and led interagency committees on national security. In 2008, Dr. Geiss joined the Department of the Army as the Program Director for Energy Security. He led the Army Energy Security program to address issues across the facilities and installations domain, in weapon systems, and for contingency operations. Dr. Geiss was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2010 and served as the first Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy. Dr. Geiss provided oversight and direction for all matters pertaining to the formulation, review, and execution of plans, policies, programs, and budgets for the effective and efficient use of energy to support the global Air Force mission. In 2014, Dr. Geiss returned to Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) as the Director of the Airman Systems Directorate in the 711th Human Performance Wing, which provides science and leading-edge technology to define Airman and Guardian capabilities and enhance effectiveness. EDUCATION 1990 Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry, Cedarville University, Ohio 1993 Master of Science degree in chemistry, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 2001 Doctor of Philosophy degree in zoology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 2002 Software Professional Development Program, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio 2005 Executive Education Certificate, The Wharton School, Philadelphia, Penn. 2012 DoD Vanguard Senior Executive Leadership Program, Washington, D.C. 2019 Senior Managers in Government, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Mass.
July 14, 2024 20:00

DoD Agency Breakouts

Galerie Ballroom (5), 2nd Floor
Army Breakout (Fellows Supported by the ARMY)
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Ivory Chaney
Army Research Laboratory-Army Research Office (ARO)

Ivory Chaney

Ivory Chaney, MBA, PACE, is the Educational Outreach Program Manager at the Army Research Laboratory’s Army Research Office (ARO). She manages and oversees the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) that encompasses more than 100 high school and undergraduate apprenticeships at more than 50 universities to attract top STEM talent to the Army. Ms. Chaney also oversees local and national STEM outreach initiatives and heads the Army’s participation in the tri-service National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship Program for up to 150 fellows each year. Ms. Chaney served 21 years in the Marine Corps Reserves with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. During her tenure, she was responsible for serving in a variety of leadership roles as well as serving as an inspector for the 2nd Marine Division that managed assets of more than $5 billion. She received the Joint Commendation Medal for exceptional service, multiple Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and the Army Commendation Medal for Civilian Service. Ms. Chaney also serves as a certified Sexual Assault Victim Advocate for the Department of Defense and Collateral Duty Equal Employment Opportunity Counselor. She earned both a Masters and Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Liberty University. Additionally, she holds a certification in project management from Cornell University. ARO is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory, the Army's national research laboratory also known as DEVCOM ARL.
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Patrick Baker, PhD
DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory

Patrick Baker, PhD

Dr. Patrick J. Baker was selected for the Senior Executive Service in May 2012. In his current position within the Army Futures Command, he serves as the Director of the U.S. Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), Army Research Laboratory (ARL). He is responsible for setting and executing the nationwide research agenda and programs on Army-focused foundational research in the sciences of biology and biotechnology; electromagnetic spectrum; energy; extreme materials; humans in complex systems; mechanics; military information; network, cyber, & computations; photonics, electronics & quantum; terminal effects; and weapons for the purpose of operationalizing science to ensure overmatch for a lethal Army. The Laboratory team operates and partners across the United States and internationally and consists of approximately 2,000 civilian and military employees with an annual budget of over $1 billion.
July 14, 2024 20:00

DoD Agency Breakouts

Galerie Ballroom (6), 2nd Floor
Navy Breakouts (Fellows Supported by the Navy)
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William Ellis
Office of Naval Research

William Ellis

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Peter Matic, PhD
US Naval Research Laboratory

Peter Matic, PhD

Dr. Peter Matic is the Associate Director of Research for the Materials Science and Component Technology Directorate at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, DC. His responsibilities include the technical direction, financial management and administration of over 500 scientists, engineers and staff conducting multidisciplinary research and technology development. The Directorate’s work covers materials, chemistry, biomolecular sciences, plasma and laser physics, electronics and fluid dynamics for the Navy, the Marine Corps, DoD and other government agencies. He is also the Materials and Chemistry Focus Area Coordinator for the NRL Base Research Program. 

July 15, 2024 07:00

Attendee and Career Fair/Exhibitor Registration

Registration Desk
Stop at the Registration desk for Check-in, Badge and Questions
July 15, 2024 08:00

Opening Ceremonies

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor

08:00 - 08:10 National Anthem (Presentation of Colors)
 
08:00 - 08:15 DoD Formal Welcome & Conference Purpose:  Ellen Robinson 

08:15 - 08:20 Introduction of Guest Speaker: Ellen Robinson

08:20 - 08:50 Guest Speaker: Dr. Aprille Ericsson, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology 

08:50 - 09:00 Ceremony Wrap Up

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Ellen Robinson
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

Ellen Robinson

Ellen M. Robinson is a Senior General Engineer in the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Science and Engineering Division, Science and Engineering Collaboration Branch, Arlington, VA. Mrs. Robinson has served over eight years as a Program Manager for AFOSR STEM workforce development initiatives within the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) (AFRL) enterprise. She manages the AFRL Science and Technology Fellowship Program (STFP), the AFOSR Young Investigators Research Program (YIP), and the AFOSR Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE). Mrs. Robinson also serves as the AFRL Program Manager and the Department of Defense (DoD) Program Manager for the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) Program. She currently serves as the Contracting Officer Representative for two STEM fellowship program contracts. These programs are crucial in developing and bolstering the DoD STEM future pipeline for scientists and engineers (S&Es) in DoD relevant research areas and shaping future DoD research needs. These programs also support post-docs and senior researchers whose research aligns and supports the DoD and Department of the Air Force (DAF), including the United States Space Force, missions. In these roles, she develops STEM workflow development policies in innovative, high risk high reward research, plans and executes budgets totaling over $200M annually for early career scientists and engineers and STEM graduate scholars.Since joining the Air Force as a civilian in November 1989, Mrs. Robinson has served in several roles in the Aeronautical Systems Center and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) including avionics design and laser optical communications design engineer, business and financial management, strategic development planning and programming. Prior to her current assignment, Mrs. Robinson was Deputy Program Manager in the STEM development office where she developed an AF wide K-12 AF STEM Outreach education program establishing policies and programs to interest K-12 students in STEM academic studies and careers of AF mission needs. She was instrumental in establishing the AF blueprint in the DoD STEM portfolio. She also co-authored with her DoD sister services STEM workforce development initiatives for near, mid, and far term.She has used her depth of experience in strategic planning, budgeting, and execution in forecasting specific STEM needs vital for the future workforce as it relates to DoD and DAF missions.
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Aprille Ericsson, PhD
Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD)

Aprille Ericsson, PhD

Dr. Aprille J. Ericsson is the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology (ASD(S&T)). In this role, she directs the organization responsible for the oversight of and advocacy for the Department of Defense science and technology (S&T) enterprise, including S&T workforce and laboratory infrastructure policy, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, and University-Affiliated Research Centers. She oversees a broad portfolio of S&T programs, including basic research, Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer, and DoD Manufacturing Technology, including the nine Manufacturing Innovation Institutes. Additionally, as the ASD(S&T), Dr. Ericsson is responsible for focused outreach and interaction with Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions, which encourage diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, and kindergarten-twelfth grade (K-12) programs. Furthermore, she is responsible for the Department's technology and program protection initiatives. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Ericsson spent more than 31 years at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in various positions. In 2017, Dr. Ericsson was appointed the New Business Lead for the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Instrument Systems and Technology Division. In this role she fostered technical government partnerships that enable industry, small business, and academia collaboration to compete for opportunities to solve strategic research and development challenges. Dr. Ericsson also served as the NASA GSFC Program Manager for Small Business and Innovative Research within the Innovative Technology and Partnerships Office. Additionally, she served as the GSFC Deputy to the Chief Technologist for the Engineering and Technology Directorate; Headquarters Program Executive for Earth Science; Headquarters Business Executive for Space Science; and an Instrument Project Manager for instruments, which includes the James Webb Space Telescope. Her early engineering roles included the design, analysis, and build of robotics and altitude control systems. Ericsson also served as the Loaned Executive to the Combined Federal Campaign. Dr. Ericsson is a champion for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics education and the future workforce. Throughout her career, she has been a board member for several national academies, universities, and K-12 institutions. Prior to her appointment, she was a mentor to many NASA interns and students, as well as Lead Advisor for a National Society of Black Engineers Jr. Chapter. Dr. Ericsson holds a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in mechanical engineering, aerospace option from Howard University. Dr. Ericsson also earned leadership and management certificates from Radcliffe College and Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Ericsson is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Western Society of Engineers 2016Washington Award; The Engineering Honor Society 2018 Tau Beta Pi Distinguished Alumnus award; and the top American Society of Mechanical Engineering award, the Ralph Coates Roe Medal (2022). Dr. Ericsson was the first African American female, as well as the first American, to receive a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Howard University, the aerospace option from Howard University, and the first African American female to receive a Ph.D. in engineering at NASA GSFC.
July 15, 2024 09:05

Former Fellows Panel

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
NDSEG-DoD Former Fellows
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Andreas Schmitt-Sody, PhD

Andreas Schmitt-Sody, PhD

Dr. Schmitt-Sody is currently serving as Deputy Chief Scientist for Directed Energy at the Air Force Research Laboratory. In his role he is supporting the senior leaders to execute the strategic vision for Directed Energy Tehcnology providing critical technology to the warfighter. Before that, Dr. Schmitt-Sody was a Research Physicist, deputy program manager and the Principle investigator for the Ultrashort Pulse Laser (USPL) Research effort at the Directed Energy Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque NM. He is directing high quality experiments, lab modelling, empirical testing and demonstrations in USPL non-linear propagation through the atmosphere to meet the future warfighter needs.Dr. Schmitt-Sody started his career as am National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at AFRL pursuing basic research in non-linear optics and femtosecond laser physics with the focus on interaction of external electric fields with USPL filament generated plasmas.Dr. Schmitt- Sody received his PhD in Physics from the University of New Mexico in July 2011. During his science career, he authored and co-authored over 20 peer reviewed journal articles and many conference abstracts. He has currently advised three graduate student on their PhD and Master’s research and has mentored over 15 graduate and undergraduate summer students in the past.
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Kimberly Jacoby Morris, PhD
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

Kimberly Jacoby Morris, PhD

Dr. Kimberly J. Jacoby Morris is the STEM Program Coordinator for the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, in Arlington, VA. Dr. Jacoby is responsible for managing activities that improve scientific literacy among students, educators and the public to foster a highly skilled workforce. Her leadership ensures that education funding opportunities and community-based program initiatives promote the engagement of diverse audiences in understanding and contributing to technological advancements. Programs that contribute directly to this effort are the STEM Education and Outreach Program, the ASSURE Program, the Summer Faculty Fellowship Program and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars Program. Dr. Jacoby enjoys developing creative solutions to address challenges in workforce development. Prior to this position Dr. Jacoby was an Education Specialist in the Education and Community Involvement Branch at the National Human Genome Research Institute which is a part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. As an Education Specialist she was responsible for managing STEM education and outreach programs, developing educational resources and coordinating digital assets. Her passion for education was inspired by her extensive teaching experience during graduate school and her post-graduate guest lecturer opportunities at Bryn Mawr College.Before transitioning full-time to the field of education outreach, Dr. Jacoby completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the late Dr. George Harold Patterson at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering which is a part of the National Institutes of Health. While working with Dr. Patterson, Dr. Jacoby developed novel near-IR fluorescent probes and extended the photoswitchable FRET technique to democratize costly scientific experiments.
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Lily Neff, PhD
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research

Lily Neff, PhD

Lily Neff is an NRC postdoctoral fellow at the Medical Readiness Systems Biology (MRSB) branch in the Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience (CMPN) at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR)). She is a former NDSEG fellow and is an AEOP CQL alumna. In December 2023, Lily was chosen to receive the Future Leaders Award by the AEOP Alumni Association. She has authored eight manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals and has completed 27 presentations at local and national conferences. Her research interests include biomarker discovery, psychological health, the microbiome, and cardiovascular disease. Lily received her Bachelor of Science in Biological Chemistry from Wesley College (Dover, DE), and she graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston, SC) with a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences.
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David Gonzalez, PhD
Office of Naval Research

David Gonzalez, PhD

Dr. González is the acting Director for the Naval Air Platforms Division of the Naval Air Warfare & Weapons department at the Office of Naval Research. He received his B.S. and M.S. from Western Michigan University in Aeronautical (2003) and Mechanical Engineering (2005), respectively. He then transitioned to the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Indian Head, Maryland, where his work focused on computational fluid dynamics analysis and design of tactical solid propellant rocket motors for the U.S. Navy. He received his Ph.D. in 2016 from The Ohio State University under a SMART Fellowship, focusing his research on Lagrangian approaches for the analysis of complex compressible jet flow fields and novel techniques for large-eddy simulations. He has served as the Program Officer for the Aerodynamics portfolio at the ONR since 2020 and is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
July 15, 2024 10:05

BREAK

July 15, 2024 10:15

Former Fellows Panel

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
Former Fellows Panel/Early Career Fellows
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Karen DeMille, PhD
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)

Karen DeMille, PhD

Dr. Karen J. DeMille is a Research Mechanical Engineer in the Structures Technology Branch, Aerospace Systems Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. She performs research focused on advancing tools and technologies for aircraft structural design and certification. Her work includes performing in-house research and providing technical oversight of external research efforts investigating the advancement of analysis and design tools for composite and metallic aircraft structures. Her research interests include finite element modeling, fracture and fatigue, additive manufacturing, and machine learning. Before entering public service, Dr. DeMille was a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Utah. During her time as a graduate researcher, she researched microstructurally small cracks and their dependence on local microstructural features. She also completed research on the behavior of carbon nanotube composites at the nano and microscales. In her graduate work, she explored both traditional (simulation-based) and data-driven (machine learning-based) approaches to advancing the understanding of how microstructural-scale material features impact macroscale material behavior. EDUCATION 2016 Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, Utah State University, Logan 2019 Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 2022 Doctor of Philosophy, Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City CAREER CHRONOLOGY 1. July 2022 – Present, Research Mechanical Engineer, Structures Technology Branch, Aerospace Systems Directorate, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS 2019 National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS 2016 Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Valedictorian, Utah State University 2019 Outstanding Graduate Student Researcher of the Year in the area of Solid Mechanics, University of Utah Department of Mechanical Engineering PUBLICATIONS C. D. Blakely, O. Tong, K. DeMille, Z. Lewis, A. J. Katz, “High-Order Strand Grid Methods for Multi-species Reacting Flow,” Proceedings of the 46th AIAA Fluid Dynamics Conference, June 2016 A. D. Spear, M. W. Czabaj, P. Newell, K. DeMille, B. R. Phung, et al., “The third Sandia Fracture Challenge: from theory to practice in a classroom setting,” International Journal of Fracture, June 2019 K. J. DeMille, A. D. Spear, “Determination of representative volume elements for small cracks in heterogeneous, linear-elastic domains,” Engineering Fracture Mechanics, October 2019 K. J. DeMille, A. D. Spear, “Convolutional neural networks for expediting the determination of minimum volume requirements for studies of microstructurally small cracks, Part I: Model implementation and predictions,” Computational Materials Science, May 2022 P. P. Deshpande, K. J. DeMille, A. Rahman, S. Ghosh, A. D. Spear, G. M. Odegard, “Designing an improved interface in graphene/polymer composites through machine learning,” Proceedings of the American Society for Composites Thirty-Seventh Technical Conference, September 2022 K. DeMille, J. R. Leigh, R. Hall, I. Guven, A. Spear, “CNN-Informed Genetic Algorithm for Optimizing Mechanical Performance of Carbon Nanotube Microscale Bundles,” Proceedings of AIAA SCITECH 2023 Forum, January 2023 K. J. DeMille, A. D. Spear, “Convolutional neural networks for expediting the determination of minimum volume requirements for studies of microstructurally small cracks, part II: Model interpretation,” Computational Materials Science, August 2023 PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Tau Beta Pi
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Francis Phillips, PhD
DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory

Francis Phillips, PhD

Dr. Francis Phillips received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in Aerospace Engineering in 2018. Dr. Phillips is a NDSEG fellow class of 2018. Dr. Phillips currently works as a Research Aerospace Engineer at the US Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, focusing on the development and analysis of novel unmanned aerial systems.
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Benjamin Whitmore, PhD
Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) - Pacific

Benjamin Whitmore, PhD

Ben works as a scientist/oceanographer with the Environmental Sciences Branch of NIWC Pacific and has been at NIWC for 4.5 years now. Ben came to NIWC, as a result of the SMART Scholarship program. He received his PhD in Oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 2019. He enjoys hiking, playing with his dog, and attending trivia nights.
July 15, 2024 11:05

Early Career Panel

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
Early Career Panel/AAAS Fellows Panel
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LaShauna Evans, PhD
Air Force Office of Scientific Research

LaShauna Evans, PhD

r. Evans is a program manager in the Science and Engineering Branch, AFOSR Arlington, VA. She leads the National Science Portal (NSP), an effort to increase the defense scientific research capacity at HBCU/MIs in areas critical to the future Department of the Air Force. NSP is intended to (1) attract faculty and students to conduct cutting- edge basic research in the technical areas, (2) build capacity needed to support this research, and (3) attract students to pursue studies leading to STEM careers, including in government, the defense industry, and academia. Dr. Evans will manage current awardees and facilitate this opportunity to develop and/or deepen partnerships with HBCU/MIs. Before entering public service, Dr. Evans supported various contractor roles as a Senior Program Analyst at the U.S. Department of Defense within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering in the DoD STEM Office. She was the lead action officer in the implementation and program management of the National Defense Education Program external grant (FY19 and FY20), totaling $82M in federal funding for 28 awardees focused on STEM education and workforce development for K-12 or postsecondary students in academia, government, and industry. She also supported the DoD SMART Program Office, a postsecondary scholarship for service program. She executed the SMART Scholar SEED Grant which provided research funding for scholars pursuing their PhD as they transition to the DoD civilian STEM workforce, and included planning professional development workshops and an annual review. She managed the re-invigoration of the SMART Scholar International Internship. In Summer 2023, ten scholars had internships with The von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (VKI) in Belgium and visited the U.S. Mission to NATO. In Summer 2024, the internship expanded from 1 to 4 international research sites and fourteen scholars with internships at VKI, Navy London Technology Bridge, Alan Turing Institute, and NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation. Lastly she co-developed the SMART Creative Research & Engineering Advancing Technical Equity in STEM (CREATES) grant opportunity for scholars and sponsoring facilities to execute partnerships with HBCU/MIs to provide awareness of the DoD STEM workforce which resulted in six grants for FY24. Dr. Evans previously completed a Science and Technology Policy Fellowship, through the American Association for the Advancement of Science, at the U.S. Department of State (2016-2018). There she worked in the Office of the Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary of State where she facilitated bilateral and multilateral science and technology capacity building and STEM education for girls and women. She represented the U.S. Department of State during the drafting of the White House Office of Science and Technology Federal STEM Education 5-Year Strategic Plan for 2018-2023. Dr. Evans’ laboratory research focused on understanding the effect of maternal stress (e.g. hypoxia, obesity, diabetes) on fetal programming of adult disease. The rapidly expanding field of fetal programming underscored the importance of the in utero environment, placental function, and fetal development as keys to future health. Dr. Evans graduated from Spelman College with a B.S. Biology and received her Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Her interest in science and STEM policy was a natural outgrowth from her journey through her academic training. She enthusiastically seeks to develop policies and strategies that will facilitate capacity building and enhance workforce development of scientists, engineers, and innovators in the 21st century
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Jessica Jones, PhD
Office of Naval Research Global Tech Solutions

Jessica Jones, PhD

Dr. Jessica N. Jones of Richmond, Virginia is currently Deputy Director at Office of Naval Research Global TechSolutions. Dr. Jones started her career in civil service at Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Indian Head as a Human-Robot Interaction Engineer and joined TechSolutions on detail from NSWC Dahlgren Division where she was most recently a Lead Human-System Research Scientist. Dr. Jones holds three post-secondary degrees. She is a graduate of Hampton University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and a minor in Leadership Studies. Next, Dr. Jones graduated from Clemson University with a Master of Science degree in Computer Science with a concentration in Interactive Computing. Finally, Dr. Jones earned a Ph.D. in Human-Centered Computing from the University of Florida where her research included usable voting systems, interactive tutoring systems, culturally relevant learning, and broadening participation in STEM. Dr. Jones is the creator of CodeIT Day, a program that introduced middle school students to Computer Science via robotics while providing examples of diversity in Computing through the program’s volunteer staff. Dr. Jones is a proud and active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® and enjoys using her technical skillset to assist the organization and to serve the community.
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Joe Fortenbaugh, PhD

Joe Fortenbaugh, PhD

July 15, 2024 11:45

AFRL Early Career Fellow

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
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Nathaniel Bridges, PhD
United States Air Force

Nathaniel Bridges, PhD

Dr. Nathaniel “Nate” R. Bridges currently serves as a Special Assistant to the Chief Scientist of the Air Force, Arlington, Virginia. Prior to this role, he was a Research Biomedical Engineer within the 711th Human Performance Wing (711th HPW) Cognitive Neuroscience Section, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In this role, he led a $15M program known as iNeuraLS designed to develop next-generation brain-machine interface technology. As program lead, he directed the technical and programmatic efforts of 56 scientists and engineers spanning three AFRL technology directorates, Sonera Magnetics, Teledyne Technologies, Microsoft, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratories. Additionally, he led the AFRL Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Next-Generation Nonsurgical Neurotechnology Program team and served as a project lead for Fog and Edge Computing under the Explore Campaign within the AFRL Technology Capabilities Office. Dr. Bridges began his career in the Air Force as a student intern within the Office of Inspector General, Air Force Materiel Command, in May 2006 during a critical transition period between the Inspector General, Executive Officer, and Secretary positions. In subsequent internships between 2007 and 2011, he supported the AFRL within the Vulnerability Analysis Branch, conducting impact biomechanics research. He then continued his AFRL support as an onsite Infoscitex contractor between 2011 and 2012 conducting neuromodulation research. After earning his doctorate in 2017, he transitioned to the civil service via the Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship, which he has served to date. In the past, Dr. Bridges also served as the Neural Interface Team Lead and founder of the Brain Machine Interface (BMI) Line of Effort within the Performance Optimizations Branch, 711th HPW. He directed the AFRL’s first human Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation study while an onsite contractor. His past work has focused on exploring the mechanisms of BMI learning in rodent models and stimulating the human brain using transcranial direct current stimulation, transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation, and photobiomodulation neuromodulation techniques. Additionally, he has explored brain changes using transcranial doppler ultrasound, functional near infrared spectroscopy, and magnetic resonance neuroimaging. Dr. Bridges is a recipient of the OUSD LUCI Fellowship, is a BEYA Award and AFRL Early Career Award winner. EDUCATION 2009 Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 2011 Master of Science in Engineering, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 2017 Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
July 15, 2024 12:00

LUNCH

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
July 15, 2024 12:45

Lunch Panel Discussion

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
Agency Overview: What research are we doing and why? What future research are we interested in?
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Kevin Geiss, PhD
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)/Air Force Office of Scientific Research

Kevin Geiss, PhD

Dr. Kevin T. Geiss, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Director, Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) (Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)), Arlington, Va. Dr. Geiss leads the management of the United States Department of the Air Force’s global basic research investment. AFOSR has a staff of 200+ scientist, engineers and business professionals in Arlington, Virginia and international offices in the United Kingdom, Japan, Brazil, Chile, and Australia. In this role, Dr. Geiss ensures the success of a $400+ million per year basic research investment portfolio and the transfer of resulting discoveries to Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Directorates, to defense industries and to other federal agencies. The office’s annual investment in basic research is distributed among roughly 200 leading academic institutions worldwide, 100 industry-based contracts, and more than 250 internal Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) research efforts. Dr. Geiss was formerly with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology (OASD(S&T)) at the Pentagon, where he last served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Science and Technology Futures. In that position, he was responsible for the integration and oversight of Department of Defense (DoD) science and technology (S&T) investment and guided technologies needed for continued technological superiority of United States military forces. Dr. Geiss enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in 1986 and served in field artillery, communications and military police units during his service. He spent nine years as a defense contractor supporting Air Force research programs at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He began his civilian career with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in 2002. He was then detailed to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he performed policy and budget review of national security science and technology programs, resolved policy and funding issues, and led interagency committees on national security. In 2008, Dr. Geiss joined the Department of the Army as the Program Director for Energy Security. He led the Army Energy Security program to address issues across the facilities and installations domain, in weapon systems, and for contingency operations. Dr. Geiss was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2010 and served as the first Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy. Dr. Geiss provided oversight and direction for all matters pertaining to the formulation, review, and execution of plans, policies, programs, and budgets for the effective and efficient use of energy to support the global Air Force mission. In 2014, Dr. Geiss returned to Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) as the Director of the Airman Systems Directorate in the 711th Human Performance Wing, which provides science and leading-edge technology to define Airman and Guardian capabilities and enhance effectiveness. EDUCATION 1990 Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry, Cedarville University, Ohio 1993 Master of Science degree in chemistry, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 2001 Doctor of Philosophy degree in zoology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 2002 Software Professional Development Program, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio 2005 Executive Education Certificate, The Wharton School, Philadelphia, Penn. 2012 DoD Vanguard Senior Executive Leadership Program, Washington, D.C. 2019 Senior Managers in Government, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Mass.
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Barton Halpern, PhD
DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory

Barton Halpern, PhD

Dr. Halpern was appointed to the rank of Senior Executive Service (SES) in April 2019 and assigned as the Director of the Army Research Office (ARO), DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, at Research Triangle Park, Durham, North Carolina. In this role, Dr. Halpern is responsible for setting and executing the nationwide extramural research agenda and programs on Army focused basic research in the engineering, physical, life, mathematical, computer, and information, and social sciences to provide critical enhancements to current warfighter needs and revolutionary advances required for technological dominance of the future force with emphasis on the Army's Modernization Priorities. The ARO research portfolio exceeds over $750 million, including single investigator research (1,300 active projects performed by approximately 3,500 researchers both nationally and internationally). The research is conducted at over 250 universities, in collaboration with the Army laboratory community.
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Michele Gaudreault, PhD
United States Space Force

Michele Gaudreault, PhD

Dr. Michele Gaudreault is Chief Scientist, Space Operations Command, United States Space Force, Peterson SFB, Colorado. She leads scientific analysis and facilitates basic, applied, and advanced research and development needed for future space systems. Dr. Gaudreault has spent most of her career in government service, starting with a summer internship at the Air Force Test Pilot School. She served as a NASA Test Director during the construction and acceptance testing of the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis and the modification of the orbiter Columbia. She served as a Shuttle Controls Engineer and then Ground Systems Engineer at Vandenberg AFB. She was the Vibrations Branch Chief in Structures Division of the Wright Laboratories (now Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)). She served as Director of Research for the US Air Force Academy’s Mathematics Department and served as an Associate Air Officer Commanding for Basic Cadet Training. She was selected as the first Chief Scientist of the Asian Office of Aerospace Research and Development, where she directed and coordinated Research and Development grants, technical interchanges, and conference support programs throughout Pacific Rim countries. At AFIT, she was a key player in the transition of the Systems Acquisition School to the main AFIT campus, and the subsequent stand-up of the Department of Systems Acquisition. In addition to being responsible for all of the Virtual Schoolhouse courses, she was also an Adjunct Professor for the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics in the School of Engineering and Management. She retired from active duty in 2004 and from the reserves in 2011. As Chief of Technology Assessments, she ensured future space capabilities by facilitating and promoting basic and advanced space research to develop critical new technologies. As the Technical Director for the Directorate of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance, she advised the director on science and technology pertinent to ISR and facilitated basic, applied, and advanced research and development needed for future ISR.
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Peter Matic, PhD
US Naval Research Laboratory

Peter Matic, PhD

Dr. Peter Matic is the Associate Director of Research for the Materials Science and Component Technology Directorate at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, DC. His responsibilities include the technical direction, financial management and administration of over 500 scientists, engineers and staff conducting multidisciplinary research and technology development. The Directorate’s work covers materials, chemistry, biomolecular sciences, plasma and laser physics, electronics and fluid dynamics for the Navy, the Marine Corps, DoD and other government agencies. He is also the Materials and Chemistry Focus Area Coordinator for the NRL Base Research Program. 

July 15, 2024 14:00

DoD Presentation

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor

Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Overview, Ms. Christina Rock

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Christina Roc
Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) - Pacific

Christina Roc

Christina Roc is the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific Academic Engagement and STEM Outreach Director and NAVWAR STEM Federal Action Officer dedicated to growing our existing and future STEM Talent. She studied Psychology and Philosophy at UCLA and has MS in Global Leadership from University of San Diego. She is a mission-driven leader working for organizations in education, non-profit and DoD. Before joining NIWC Pacific in 2019, she started her NAVWAR career via Booz Allen Hamilton from 2003-2019 where she supported and led projects/programs with various customers across NAVWAR HQ, PEO C4I, NIWC PAC and LANT in the areas of strategic planning, organizational development, human capital and talent development. She was a Board Trustee with Kid Spark Education and engaged in various other philanthropic and community partnerships activities where she was responsible for employee engagement and public-private partnerships in STEM outreach, health and veteran/military causes.
July 15, 2024 14:00

Poster Talks Oceanography

Studio 1
Joseph Gradone, ONR, Rutgers University
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Joseph Gradone
Rutgers University

Joseph Gradone

Joe Gradone is a PhD Candidate in Oceanography in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University. His prior education includes a Bachelors in Geology from the University of Colorado and a Masters in Oceanography from the University of Delaware. Following his Masters and prior to going to Rutgers, Joe worked as a Slocum Glider Customer Support Applications Engineer at Teledyne Webb Research. Joe is interested in combining his science and engineering backgrounds to develop new sensors, processing techniques, and glider flight behaviors to advance his research focus on the circulation dynamics of the tropical Atlantic and the transport and transformation of climatically important water masses.
July 15, 2024 14:00

Poster Talks Geoscience

Studio 10
Nicholas Balasus, ARO, Harvard University
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Nicholas Balasus
Harvard University

Nicholas Balasus

I am a PhD student at Harvard University studying atmospheric chemistry. I have been working on improving satellite observations of methane and am now applying these observations to monitor methane emissions in support of climate change mitigation.
July 15, 2024 14:00

Poster Talk Cognitive Neural & Behavioral Science

Studio 8
Usamma Amjad, ARO, University of Pittsburgh
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Usamma Amjad
University of Pittsburgh

Usamma Amjad

Third Year Neural Engineering PHD student studying the role of striatal dopamine in learning in non-human primates.
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Karen Tian

Karen Tian

July 15, 2024 14:15

Poster Talks Oceanography

Studio 1
Jackson Hall, ONR, University of Texas at Austin
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Jackson Hallveld
The University of Texas at Austin

Jackson Hallveld

Graduate student at The University of Texas at Austin studying ocean acoustic propagation modeling.
July 15, 2024 14:15

Poster Talks Geoscience

Studio 10
Nathaniel Cresswell-Clay, ONR, University of Washington
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Nathaniel Cresswell-Clay
University of Washington

Nathaniel Cresswell-Clay

Atmospheric Science PhD Student at the University of Washington. I study the use of machine learning in weather and climate simulation. In particular I am interested in using machine learning algorithms to model Earth System exchanges (atmosphere to ocean, ocean to atmosphere, land to atmosphere, etc...).
July 15, 2024 14:15

Poster Talk Chemical Engineering

Studio 3
Alex Cohen, ARO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Alexander Cohen
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Alexander Cohen

I am a PhD student at MIT in Computational Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering.
July 15, 2024 14:15

Poster Talk Cognitive Neural & Behavioral Science

Studio 8
Nathan Baker, ARO, Michigan State University
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Nathan Baker
Michigan State University

Nathan Baker

I am an Industrial and Organizational Psychology Student (ABD) at Michigan State. I am invested in both teaching and translational science, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the experience of work for individuals around the world. My research has focused on interpersonal dynamics at work, selection and assessment, emotions, technology and automation, and workforce dynamics. On the industry side, I have consulted and worked for a range of companies including Honeywell and Niagara Bottling, with a focus on assessment development, training, and responding to technological change. I will graduate with my PhD in May, 2025.
July 15, 2024 14:30

DoD Presentation

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
AFRL Technology Directorate Overview
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Daniel Zelik, PhD
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) 711HPW

Daniel Zelik, PhD

Dr. Daniel J. Zelik is the Deputy Chief Scientist of the 711th Human Performance Wing (711HPW) of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) (Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)), Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), Ohio. Dr. Zelik is the primary science and technology advisor to the 711HPW Chief Scientist as well as to technical leadership in the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Human Effectiveness Directorate (RH) and U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM). In this position he provides technical vision and strategy for the Wing’s science and technology plans. The Wing is comprised of over 2000 personnel in more than 70 occupational series, spread across eight operating locations, with an annual budget in excess of $300M. Prior to his current duties, Dr. Zelik served as Technical Advisor for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Mission Analytics Branch and Research Lead for the 711th Human Performance Wing Systems Analytics Core Research Area. In this capacity he led the creation of a new Airmen-centered data analytics portfolio unique to the Air Force and provided technical guidance, oversight, and mentorship for more than 100 civilian, military, contractor, and academic scientists and engineers executing annual research over $8M. Dr. Zelik began his career with Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in 2014 as a Senior Cognitive Systems Engineer. In this role he led multiple high-visibility and high-impact research and development efforts, secured over $3.5M in outside funding, authored 12 conference publications and technical reports, and developed technologies that delivered new or enhanced mission capability to intelligence analysts and warfighters across the Department of Defense. Dr. Zelik earned graduate degrees in Industrial and Systems Engineering (focus in Cognitive Systems Engineering) from The Ohio State University and undergraduate degrees in Industrial Engineering and Psychology from Iowa State University of Science and Technology. He has over 15 years of experience in government, industry, and academia applying Cognitive Systems Engineering to design, develop, and assess human-centric technologies for data analysis and decision making. His research interests include how professional intelligence analysts assess analytic rigor, cope with data overload, and overcome challenges to effective sense-making.
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Regina Shia, PhD
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)

Regina Shia, PhD

Regina M. Shia is a Senior Research Scientist for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Wright Patterson AFB, OH. She received her PhD. in 2008 in Human Factors Psychology from Wright State University where she studied the interaction of affect and fatigue on cognitive performance. She worked as a full-time research scientist at NTI, Inc in Dayton, OH from 2002-2006, where she studied the development of cognitive testing procedures for the identification of performance decrements due to various stressors. During her time at NTI, she assessed cognitive decrements due to fatigue, acceleration force, and simulated Special Forces tactical exercises. Dr. Shia currently serves as the Advisor to the Chief Scientist of the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate and Program Manager for the Advanced Development Team supporting human wearable technology for the aerospace environment.
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Leslie Blaha, PhD
Air Force Office of Scientific Research/CL

Leslie Blaha, PhD

Dr. Leslie M. Blaha is the Deputy Chief Scientist, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Arlington, VA. Dr. Blaha is the deputy science and technology adviser to the AFOSR Director and Chief Scientist in matters of formulation, planning, managing and integration of all Air Force basic research programs, with an emphasis on the Air Force Research Laboratory’s intramural programs. The office has a staff of over 200 personnel assigned and an annual working budget $500 million that support more than 5,000 worldwide basic research projects critical to the defense of the U.S. The office selects, sponsors, and manages basic science and engineering relevant to Air and Space Force needs in science and technology, and is the Air Force Research Laboratories single manager for the all Air and Space Force basic research programs. Dr. Blaha began her career with the Air Force in 2010 in the Battlespace Visualization Branch, Warfighter Interfaces Division, Human Effectiveness (now Airman Systems) Directorate, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Ohio. Dr. Blaha has been Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on over $11 million in sponsored basic and fundamental applied research emphasizing cognitive modeling for human-machine teaming in adaptive training, visual analytics, and decision-making systems to pioneer national security and defense mission future capabilities. She has worked in the areas of human-machine mutual understanding, interactive machine learning, interactive streaming analytics for intelligence analysis, cybersecurity and insider threat, social network analysis, aircraft integrity analysis, and real-time operator state assessment. Passionate about mentoring, she has mentored over 30 trainees, from high school to postdoctoral research level. Dr. Blaha was awarded an Early Career Impact Award from the Federation of Associations for Brain and Behavioral Sciences in 2018. She serves as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Society for Mathematical Psychology and is a co-founder of the Women of Mathematical Psychology. She has authored or co-authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications and edited a two-volume book (h-index 11; i10-index 14). Prior to assuming her current position, Dr. Blaha served as the acting Training Core Technical Competency Lead, in addition to serving as principal investigator for Human and Machine Co-Learning, Airman Systems Directorate, 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Embedded at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), she serves as the lead for the CMU Operating Location, fostering university collaborations in the areas of Cognitive Modeling for Human-Autonomy Teaming. In addition, Dr. Blaha serves as the Air Force Office of Scientific Research’s senior subject matter expert and independent researcher in the development theory-driven models and methodologies, together with new methods for test and evaluation of models, for human-autonomy teaming across all missions of the Department of the Air Force.
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Andreas Schmitt-Sody, PhD

Andreas Schmitt-Sody, PhD

Dr. Schmitt-Sody is currently serving as Deputy Chief Scientist for Directed Energy at the Air Force Research Laboratory. In his role he is supporting the senior leaders to execute the strategic vision for Directed Energy Tehcnology providing critical technology to the warfighter. Before that, Dr. Schmitt-Sody was a Research Physicist, deputy program manager and the Principle investigator for the Ultrashort Pulse Laser (USPL) Research effort at the Directed Energy Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque NM. He is directing high quality experiments, lab modelling, empirical testing and demonstrations in USPL non-linear propagation through the atmosphere to meet the future warfighter needs.Dr. Schmitt-Sody started his career as am National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at AFRL pursuing basic research in non-linear optics and femtosecond laser physics with the focus on interaction of external electric fields with USPL filament generated plasmas.Dr. Schmitt- Sody received his PhD in Physics from the University of New Mexico in July 2011. During his science career, he authored and co-authored over 20 peer reviewed journal articles and many conference abstracts. He has currently advised three graduate student on their PhD and Master’s research and has mentored over 15 graduate and undergraduate summer students in the past.
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Stanley Wenndt, PhD

Stanley Wenndt, PhD

July 15, 2024 14:30

Poster Talks Oceanography

Studio 1
Isabel Honda, ONR, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Isabel Honda
Massachusetts Institute of Technology / Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Isabel Honda

Isabel Honda is a Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Engineering & Computational Oceanography at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (MIT-WHOI Joint Program). Her research focuses on statistically modeling the impacts of climate change on coupled biological-physical interactions and zooplankton population dynamics on the Northeast US Shelf. Isabel holds a bachelor's degree with honors in Applied Mathematics with a concentration in Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
July 15, 2024 14:30

Poster Talks Geoscience

Studio 10
Nathan Hadland, ARO, University of Arizona
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Nathan Hadland
University of Arizona

Nathan Hadland

Nathan Hadland is a graduate student at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona where he studies astrobiology and planetary analogs with Dr. Solange Duhamel and Dr. Christopher Hamilton. He studies young lava flows in Iceland as an analog for life on Mars. Additionally, he studies the atmospheric microbiome in extreme environments such as the Icelandic highlands to understand microbial survival mechanisms and global dispersal patterns in order to understand the potential for the spread of pathogens or bioweapons globally. Hadland has extensive technical expertise in astrobiology and environmental microbiology in both laboratory and field settings. He has over five years of field experience using techniques including drone-based photogrammetry and LIDAR, as well as a suite of biological field instruments and sampling. He has participated in three previous extended field campaigns in Iceland and several other recent field campaigns such as trips to El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico, the Grand Falls Dune Area, Arizona, and the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah. Hadland is proficient in advanced laboratory microbiology techniques including DNA sequencing, microscopy, and culturing as well as expertise in programming in Python, R, GIS, and various bioinformatics tools.
July 15, 2024 14:30

Poster Talk Chemical Engineering

Studio 3
Kristin Lewis, AFOSR, University of Colorado Boulder
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Kristin Lewis
University of Colorado Boulder

Kristin Lewis

Kristin Lewis is currently in the fourth year of her PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder in Dr. Timothy White’s lab. She is originally from Ada, Michigan and earned her B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in May of 2020. Her current research efforts include designing liquid crystalline elastomers with enhanced thermomechanical responses through the integration of hydrogen bonded units. She plans to finish her PhD in the Fall of 2024 with the goal of designing materials for aerospace applications after graduation.
July 15, 2024 14:30

Poster Talk Cognitive Neural & Behavioral Science

Studio 8
Alexa Bushinski, ONR, Purdue University
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Alexa Bushinski
Purdue University

Alexa Bushinski

am a Ph.D. student in Cognitive Psychology at Purdue University. I received my B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice from Metro State University in Minnesota, and I worked as a lab manager at University of Wisconsin-Madison before I started at Purdue in 2020. My research interests intersect spatial navigation, virtual and augmented reality (XR), and memory. My past work has been on the more basic side of understanding individual differences in spatial navigation and memory. However, I plan to start incorporating XR to leverage it as a tool for better understanding spatial navigation and many other complex skills.
July 15, 2024 14:45

Poster Talks Oceanography

Studio 1
Jessica Wan, ONR, University of California San Diego
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Jessica Wan
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego

Jessica Wan

I am a climate science PhD candidate in Dr. Kate Ricke’s lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), University of California San Diego. My primary research seeks to understand how climate geoengineering proposals might alleviate regional climate change impacts. Specifically, I study a type of geoengineering called marine cloud brightening, which cools the planet by adding sea salt particles to the lower atmosphere to form brighter marine clouds. I use Earth system models to simulate how different scenarios of marine cloud brightening could be leveraged for climate risk mitigation. I am a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) fellow sponsored by ONR and an Achievement Rewards for College Scientsts (ARCS) scholar. Prior to coming to SIO, I graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in Environment & Sustainability with Distinction in Research.
July 15, 2024 14:45

Poster Talks Geoscience

Studio 10
Satya Kent, ARO, Northern Arizona University
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Satya Kent
Northern Arizona University

Satya Kent

Satya is a PhD student broadly interested in biogeochemical transformations of carbon in anaerobic ecosystems and how these pathways are altered under interacting facets of climate change. At Northern Arizona University, she is using quantitative isotope probing (qSIP) to understand microbial metabolisms and methane dynamics in wetlands of the future.
July 15, 2024 14:45

Poster Talk Chemical Engineering

Studio 3
Lindsey Parsons, ONR, University of California, Los Angeles
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Lindsey Parsons
University of California, Los Angeles

Lindsey Parsons

Parsons is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate at UCLA researching perovskite nanocrystal interface chemistry and photonic device design with a focus on photovoltaic applications. She earned her B.S. from Auburn University in Chemical Engineering in 2020. She serves as a teaching and outreach volunteer at the California NanoSystems Institute and at the Center for Excellence in Engineering and Diversity at UCLA. This summer, she was selected to participate in the Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program at U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. After graduation, she aims to continue studying photonic nanomaterials as a post-doctoral fellow or other research-focused position.
July 15, 2024 14:45

Poster Talk Cognitive Neural & Behavioral Science

Studio 8
Pamala Dayley, ARO, University of California, Los Angeles
July 15, 2024 15:00

Poster Talks Oceanography

Studio 1
Raymond Young, ONR, University of California San Diego
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Raymond Young
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego

Raymond Young

I am a PhD Candidate in Oceanography (Applied Ocean Science) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego and a member of the Coastal Observing Research and Development Center (CORDC) with my advisor Dr. Sophia Merrifield. My research focuses on algorithms for optimal path planning for uncrewed marine systems operating in dynamic environments. I received a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from UC San Diego before switching departments for my doctoral program.
July 15, 2024 15:00

Poster Talks Geoscience

Studio 10
Gabrielle Linscott, ONR, University of Maryland, College Park
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Gabrielle Linscott
University of Maryland, College Park

Gabrielle Linscott

Third year Ph.D. student in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Maryland.
July 15, 2024 15:00

Poster Talk Chemical Engineering

Studio 3
Alexis Phillips, AFOSR, University of Colorado Boulder
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Alexis Phillips
University of Colorado Boulder

Alexis Phillips

Alexis Phillips is a fourth-year graduate student at the University of Colorado Boulder studying Chemical Engineering. She currently works in Prof. Timothy White’s research group largely focusing on developing and optimizing reconfigurable optical materials. Alexis graduated from Wright State University in 2020 with a B.S. in Chemistry and a minor in Mathematics. While an undergraduate, Alexis worked at the Air Force Research Laboratory researching photophysical materials for use in photonics.
July 15, 2024 15:00

Poster Talk Cognitive Neural & Behavioral Science

Studio 8
Jacob Prince, AFO, Harvard University
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Jacob Prince
Harvard University

Jacob Prince

I’m a third-year Cognitive Neuroscience PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology at Harvard. I work at the intersection of neuroscience and artificial intelligence, with a goal of understanding how the visual system transforms the rich sensory content of our world into the set of neural representations that support the array of visual behaviors we perform each day - from object and facial recognition, to spatial navigation, to reading and writing. In pursuing these insights, I measure people’s brains (using fMRI) and their behavior (using visual tasks), and use the tools of modern computer vision (primarily deep learning) to develop better models of human visual cortex.
July 15, 2024 15:15

Poster/Exhibit Hall Open

Fellows to stand next to Posters, DoD & Fellows Networking Session
July 15, 2024 15:45

DoD Presentation

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) Overview
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Lily Neff, PhD
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research

Lily Neff, PhD

Lily Neff is an NRC postdoctoral fellow at the Medical Readiness Systems Biology (MRSB) branch in the Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience (CMPN) at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR)). She is a former NDSEG fellow and is an AEOP CQL alumna. In December 2023, Lily was chosen to receive the Future Leaders Award by the AEOP Alumni Association. She has authored eight manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals and has completed 27 presentations at local and national conferences. Her research interests include biomarker discovery, psychological health, the microbiome, and cardiovascular disease. Lily received her Bachelor of Science in Biological Chemistry from Wesley College (Dover, DE), and she graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston, SC) with a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences.
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Aarti Gautam, PhD
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR)

Aarti Gautam, PhD

Dr. Aarti Gautam is the Deputy Branch Director for Military Readiness Systems Biology (MRSB) branch at Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience (CMPN) at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR)). She has extensive expertise in molecular biology that includes transcriptomics, epigenetics, microbiome, metabolomics and nutrigenomics. The majority of her research is focused on understanding and developing countermeasures for illnesses relevant to the military and in support of soldier health. She has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications, 2 book chapters, and more than 200 abstracts. She has attended multiple national and international meetings and have presented work covering wide range of topics.
July 15, 2024 15:45

Poster Talks Mathematics

Studio 1
Jonah Botvinick-Greenhouse, ARO, Cornell University
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Jonah Botvinick-Greenhouse
Cornell University

Jonah Botvinick-Greenhouse

I am a fourth-year Ph.D. student at the Center for Applied Mathematics at Cornell University advised by Professor Yunan Yang. My research is supported by an NDSEG Fellowship and focuses on computational inverse problems for dynamical systems, such as parameter estimation and attractor reconstruction. Tools from dynamical systems theory, ergodic theory, optimal transport, numerical analysis, and machine learning are especially relevant in my work. I was previously a 2022 National Science Foundation, Mathematical Sciences Graduate Intern and a Visiting Graduate Student at Argonne National Laboratory, where I worked on deep learning for stochastic dynamical systems with Professor Romit Maulik. Before arriving at Cornell, I earned B.A.s in Mathematics and Physics at Amherst College in 2021, where I was advised by Professor Ryan J. Alvarado. Please feel free to reach out to me at jrb482@cornell.edu.
July 15, 2024 15:45

Poster Talk Geoscience

Ian Raphael, ONR Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College (GEO)
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Ian Raphael
Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College

Ian Raphael

I am a PhD student in Embedded Systems Engineering and Earth Science at Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. I build sensor systems for keeping track of heat and snow on Arctic sea ice. When I'm not on the ice, you'll find me running trails, riding my bike, or making something in the kitchen.
July 15, 2024 15:45

Poster Talk Chemical Engineering

Studio 3
Siddharth Rajupet, ONR University of California Berkeley
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Siddharth Rajupet
University of California, Berkeley

Siddharth Rajupet

My research focuses on understanding how colloidal interactions in fuel cell catalyst inks affect the final electrode structure. In particular I characterize the extent and driving force for ionomer adsorption to catalyst particles in inks and how this adsorption affects ink, and final electrode properties.
July 15, 2024 15:45

Poster Talk Cognitive Neural & Behavioral Science

Studio 8
Sharon Su, AFOSR, Columbia University
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Sharon Su
Columbia University

Sharon Su

Neuroscience PhD student at Columbia
July 15, 2024 16:00

Poster Talks Mathematics

Studio 1
David Cohen, AFOSR, Tufts University
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David Cohen
Tufts University

David Cohen

Mathematics PhD student at Tufts University. I have just finished my fourth year and expect to graduate in the summer of 2025.
July 15, 2024 16:00

Poster Talk Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering

Studio 10
Galen Ng, ONR, The University of Michigan (NA/OE)
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Galen Ng
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Galen Ng

Galen is a Ph.D. candidate in the Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering (NAME) Department at The University of Michigan and a DoD Fellow. He has an M.S.E in Aerospace Engineering from The University of Michigan and a B.Sc. in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering from Webb Institute where his undergraduate thesis involved using flow kinematics from particle image velocimetry (PIV) to determine hydrodynamic loads on an airfoil section. His current research focuses on using composite materials to optimize the hydroelastic performance of marine appendages.
July 15, 2024 16:00

Poster Talk Chemical Engineering

Studio 3
Gregory Reimonn, ARO, University of Michigan
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Gregory Reimonn
University of Michigan

Gregory Reimonn

4th year PhD student in Macromolecular Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan, currently working on developing improved ion exchange membranes for energy storage and separations in acidic environments.
July 15, 2024 16:00

Poster Talk Cognitive Neural & Behavioral Science

Studio 8
Karen Tian, AFOSR, Boston University
July 15, 2024 16:15

Poster Talks Mathematics

Studio 1
Dane Grundvig, ARO, Rice University
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Dane Grundvig
Rice University

Dane Grundvig

I am a 5th year PhD student in the Computational Applied Mathematics & Operations Research Department at Rice University. My research is on optimization with inexactness, particularly for applications in reduced order modelling and partial differential equation constrained optimization. I received Bachelors and Masters degrees in Mathematics from Brigham Young University.
July 15, 2024 16:15

Poster Talk Civil Engineering

Studio 10
James Bantis, ARO, Stanford University (CE)
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James Bantis
Stanford University

James Bantis

James is a PhD student at Stanford University studying Earthquake Engineering. His thesis deals with how tall buildings in cities react to hypothetical earthquakes on the regional level using a new framework reliant on simplified reduced-order models.
July 15, 2024 16:15

Poster Talk Chemical Engineering

Studio 3
Katelyn Ripley, ONR, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Katelyn Ripley
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Katelyn Ripley

Katelyn M. Ripley received her B.S. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering and Engineering Management, respectively, from Northeastern University in 2020. She also obtained her M.S. in Chemical Engineering Practice in 2023 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is currently a Ph.D. candidate and NDSEG fellow in Prof. Fikile R. Brushett’s group in the Department of Chemical Engineering at MIT, where she has worked on both electrochemical carbon dioxide (CO2) separation systems and high-temperature nonaqueous redox flow batteries. Her current research is focused on developing a technoeconomic model for electrochemical CO2 separation systems. Finally, Katelyn is also a Climate and Energy Fellow at Science for America.
July 15, 2024 16:15

Poster Talk Cognitive Neural & Behavioral Science

Studio 8
Alexis Torres, ONR, Arizona State University
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Alexis Torres
Arizona State University

Alexis Torres

Alexis Torres is a graduate student in the Cognitive Science PhD program at Arizona State University. She is a member of the Memory, Attention & Control Laboratory run by Dr. Gene Brewer. Her research integrates behavioral, psychophysiological, neuro-imaging, neuro-modulation, and neuro-chemical methodologies to understand the neural mechanisms underlying individual differences in sustained attention.
July 15, 2024 16:30

DoD Presentation

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor

Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Overview, Dr. Treva Brown

July 15, 2024 16:30

Poster Talks Mathematics

Studio 1
Cole Gruninger, ONR, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
July 15, 2024 16:30

Poster Talk Civil Engineering

Studio 10
Andrew Lesh, ARO, Leland Stanford Junior University (CE)
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Andrew Lesh
Stanford University

Andrew Lesh

Andrew Lesh is researching alternatives to concrete for construction in remote environments and hopes to help NASA's Artemis Program establish a long-term surface base on the Moon. His other interests include robotics, emergency medicine, nuclear energy, and archaeology.
July 15, 2024 16:30

Poster Talk Chemical Engineering

Studio 3
Jasmine Yang, ONR Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
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Jasmine Yang
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Jasmine Yang

I am a 4th year chemical engineering graduate student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. My project is on the Development of PEG-Mimetic Peptides by a Combined Experimental and Computational Approach.
July 15, 2024 16:30

Poster Talk Oceanography

Glen Liu, ONR, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Oceanography, 2021 Fellow

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Glenn Liu
MIT-WHOI Joint Program

Glenn Liu

PhD Candidate in the MIT-WHOI Joint Program, Physical Oceanography and Climate
July 15, 2024 16:45

Poster Talks Mathematics

Studio 1
Robert Stephany, AFOSR, Cornell University
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Robert Stephany
Cornell University

Robert Stephany

I am a 4th year Ph.D. student in Applied Mathematics at Cornell University. My research focuses on automating scientific discovery by developing algorithms that learn differential equations from scientific data.
July 15, 2024 16:45

Poster Talk Civil Engineering

Studio 10
Sarah Torhan, ARO, Pennsylvania State University (CE)
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Sarah Torhan
The Pennsylvania State University

Sarah Torhan

Water Resources Engineering Ph.D. Candidate (Anticipated Completion: August 2025)
July 15, 2024 16:45

Poster Talk Computer Science

John (Giannis) Fikioris, ONR, Cornell University, CS 

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Giannis Fikioris
Cornell University

Giannis Fikioris

Giannis Fikioris is a PhD Candidate in the department of Computer Science at Cornell University, advised by Eva Tardos. His interests include Algorithmic Game Theory and Online Learning.
July 15, 2024 16:45

Poster Talk

OPEN
July 15, 2024 17:00

Former Fellow Technical Presentation

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
Coexistent quantum channel characterization using spectrally resolved Bayesian quantum process tomography
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Joseph Chapman, PhD
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Joseph Chapman, PhD

Joseph Chapman received a B.S. degree in Physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2016 where he worked under Paul Kwiat to support their quantum communication projects. He then was granted a PhD in Physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2020 where he stayed to experimentally lead Kwiat’s investigation to implement quantum communication in space for NASA. In 2017, he was awarded the competitive National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship by the Department of Defense. In 2019, he was awarded the Donald and Shirley Jones Fellowship for outstanding graduate students by his department. His research as a postdoctoral associate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory focused on developing quantum light sources and characterization techniques to assess the feasibility of quantum light coexisting with the telecom infrastructure. More broadly, his current research at ORNL focuses on quantum network hardware development. He is a member of Optica (formerly the Optical Society of America) and the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE). He is also a regular reviewer for the Physical Review and Optica families of journals.
July 15, 2024 17:30

Poster/Exhibit Hall Open: Fellows To Stand Next to Posters

Poster Hall Foyer
Fellows who presented that day ONLY to stand next to posters
July 15, 2024 17:30

Evaluator Sessions

Poster Hall Presentation Rooms
Evaluators to meet in In the same room as the discipline presentations
July 16, 2024 07:30

Attendee and Career Fair/Exhibitor Registration

Registration Desk
Stop at the Registration desk for Check-in, Badge and Questions
July 16, 2024 08:00

DoD Trivia/Agenda at a glance

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor

Learn about the various inventions and discoveries created within DoD

July 16, 2024 08:30

DoD Presentation

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
Building a Research Career in the DoD Laboratories
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Leslie Blaha, PhD
Air Force Office of Scientific Research/CL

Leslie Blaha, PhD

Dr. Leslie M. Blaha is the Deputy Chief Scientist, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Arlington, VA. Dr. Blaha is the deputy science and technology adviser to the AFOSR Director and Chief Scientist in matters of formulation, planning, managing and integration of all Air Force basic research programs, with an emphasis on the Air Force Research Laboratory’s intramural programs. The office has a staff of over 200 personnel assigned and an annual working budget $500 million that support more than 5,000 worldwide basic research projects critical to the defense of the U.S. The office selects, sponsors, and manages basic science and engineering relevant to Air and Space Force needs in science and technology, and is the Air Force Research Laboratories single manager for the all Air and Space Force basic research programs. Dr. Blaha began her career with the Air Force in 2010 in the Battlespace Visualization Branch, Warfighter Interfaces Division, Human Effectiveness (now Airman Systems) Directorate, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Ohio. Dr. Blaha has been Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on over $11 million in sponsored basic and fundamental applied research emphasizing cognitive modeling for human-machine teaming in adaptive training, visual analytics, and decision-making systems to pioneer national security and defense mission future capabilities. She has worked in the areas of human-machine mutual understanding, interactive machine learning, interactive streaming analytics for intelligence analysis, cybersecurity and insider threat, social network analysis, aircraft integrity analysis, and real-time operator state assessment. Passionate about mentoring, she has mentored over 30 trainees, from high school to postdoctoral research level. Dr. Blaha was awarded an Early Career Impact Award from the Federation of Associations for Brain and Behavioral Sciences in 2018. She serves as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Society for Mathematical Psychology and is a co-founder of the Women of Mathematical Psychology. She has authored or co-authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications and edited a two-volume book (h-index 11; i10-index 14). Prior to assuming her current position, Dr. Blaha served as the acting Training Core Technical Competency Lead, in addition to serving as principal investigator for Human and Machine Co-Learning, Airman Systems Directorate, 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Embedded at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), she serves as the lead for the CMU Operating Location, fostering university collaborations in the areas of Cognitive Modeling for Human-Autonomy Teaming. In addition, Dr. Blaha serves as the Air Force Office of Scientific Research’s senior subject matter expert and independent researcher in the development theory-driven models and methodologies, together with new methods for test and evaluation of models, for human-autonomy teaming across all missions of the Department of the Air Force.
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Michelle Skoorka, PhD
Naval Undersea Warfare Center

Michelle Skoorka, PhD

Born in Brooklyn, NY, Dr. Michelle Skoorka attended five colleges before receiving her BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maine, Orono (it’s quite the story!). She started her Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) career in the Platform and Payload Integration Department (“Launchers”) and supported all Launchers on all current US Submarine Classes. During her tenure at NUWC she earned her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island with her dissertation work including an electrochemical study of coatings on galvanic systems and a dynamic study of composite lap joints. Having studied corrosion, she provided support for Departmental materials issues including participation in a Hydrogen Embrittlement Study of SSN 688 Class Torpedo Tube Lever Arms and at-sea testing of low voltage anodes to alleviate the issue. After two years as the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Science Advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group Dr. Skoorka returned to NUWC as the Competency Head and Technical Project Manager (TPM) for Prototyping and Development managing the Industrial Services Enterprise. She was again detailed to ONR and managed the Basic and Applied Independent Research Programs at the Naval Warfare Centers as well as the Navy’s high school and college internship programs. She later moved to the Pentagon and for two years was the Director of Unmanned Systems for the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (DASN) for Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation (RDT&E) managing the Commercial Off-the-Shelf Unmanned Aerial Systems waiver process. Dr. Skoorka has now gone full circle and is back in the “Launchers” Department at NUWC as the Branch Head for the Platform Concept Formulation Branch Head. She is managing 36 Mechanical Engineers who work on various Submarine Systems and Projects.
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Gregory Lieberman, PhD
DEVCOM ARL Army Research Office

Gregory Lieberman, PhD

Dr. Gregory Lieberman is a cognitive and translational neuroscientist and Science Integration Officer at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory (ARL), where he works in the Army Research Office (ARO)’s Office of the Chief Scientist to co-lead strategy and stakeholder engagement. As a student and academic postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Lieberman contributed to and led research efforts centered on developing treatments for neurodegenerative disease, understanding the neural mechanisms underlying fear and anxiety, exploring the mechanisms of chronic pain and mild traumatic brain injury pathology and recovery, and advancing novel interventions to enhance cognitive performance. While working for ARL, he has led and contributed to high-priority Army research programs on human variability, performance, cognition, and expertise development; brain-computer interfaces; and effective human teaming with intelligent technologies. Away from the bench, Dr. Lieberman has served as an executive fellow for the ARL Director, on the DEVCOM HQ Science and Technology Integration Future of Work strategy team, and currently as the chair of ARL’s employee advisory committee for workforce enrichment, recruitment, and retention. Dr. Lieberman’s personal passion, technical expertise, and leadership philosophy converge on the importance of empowering people (including through mentoring), streamlining processes, innovating tools, and integrating all three to maximize human potential and organizational effectiveness
July 16, 2024 08:30

Poster Talks Physics

Studio 1
Gavin Blair, ONR, University of Maryland, College Park
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Gavin Blair
University of Maryland, College Park

Gavin Blair

I am a third year physics PhD student at the University of Maryland, College Park. I am sponsored by ONR. My research is in non-linear optics and laser-plasma interactions.
July 16, 2024 08:30

Poster Talks Chemistry

Studio 10
Enric Adillon, AFOSR, California Institute of Technology
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Enric Adillon
California Institute of Technology

Enric Adillon

Enric is a graduate student in Jonas Peters' group at Caltech. There he studies small molecule reduction reactions with a focus on main group elements as a source of electrons. Enric was born in New Jersey and attended Boston College for his undergraduate studies.
July 16, 2024 08:30

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Ali Alamri, AFOSR, University of Chicago
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Ali Alamri
University of Chicago

Ali Alamri

I'm a 4th year Computational Neuroscience Graduate Student at the University of Chicago. My research Focus is on restoring sensation and motor function to patients with varying levels of paralysis via intracortical brain-computer interfaces. My undergraduate training was in Neuroscience, Psychology, and Computer Science.
July 16, 2024 08:30

Poster Talks Mechanical Engineering

Studio 8
Carlos Abarca, ONR, University of Washington
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Carlos Abarca
University of Washington

Carlos Abarca

3rd Year PhD student with a focus in fluid mechanics in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington
July 16, 2024 08:45

Poster Talks Physics

Studio 1
Kyle Gulshen, ARO, California Institute of Technology
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Kyle Gulshen
Caltech

Kyle Gulshen

Physics PhD Candidate at Caltech
July 16, 2024 08:45

Poster Talks Chemistry

Studio 10
Aria Balance, AFOSR, University of Utah
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Aria Ballance
University of Utah

Aria Ballance

I am a fourth year in Dr. Jennifer Shumaker-Parry’s lab group at the University of Utah, where my main research focus is studying the plasmonic and chiroptical responses of nanocrescents. My research interests are focused on different spectroscopies and optical advancements that can be used for studying the growing field of nanoparticles. My research has also led me to learn and become trained on different analytical tools, my specialty being the vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectrometer. Through my research as a graduate student, I continue to learn about new and innovative ways that nanoparticles can be used to solve problems in pharmaceutical companies and the environment which has been my motivation for conducting research and obtaining a PhD.
July 16, 2024 08:45

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Adrian Celaya, AFOSR, Rice University
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Adrian Celaya
Rice University

Adrian Celaya

Adrian Celaya is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Computational and Applied Mathematics (CAAM) at Rice University in Houston, TX. His research interests lie at the intersection of deep learninig, classical applied mathematics, and applications to medical imaging. Adrian is co-advised by Dr. Beatrice Riviere and Dr. David Fuentes. Prior to joining Rice, he served as the Information System Security Manager onboard the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.
July 16, 2024 08:45

Poster Talks Mechanical Engineering

Studio 8
Joseph Beckett, ARO, University of Michigan
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Joseph Beckett
University of Michigan

Joseph Beckett

I am seeking my PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. I am advised by Prof. Jon Estrada doing in the Experimental Soft Mechanics Laboratory where the emphasis is the development of novel full-field measurement techniques and constitutive model inverse problems. To date, my PhD research has been primarily focused on inertial microcavitation rheometry (IMR) and large deformation digital image correlation. In my past work at Air Force Research Laboratory, I led the mechanical characterization of a novel self-healing photocurable elastomer.
July 16, 2024 09:00

Poster Talks Physics

Studio 1
Jesse Held, AFOSR, University of California Santa Barbara
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Jesse Held
University of California, Santa Barbara

Jesse Held

Graduate student in Physics at University of California, Santa Barbara conducting research in quantum gravity.
July 16, 2024 09:00

Poster Talks Chemistry

Studio 10
Adam Balvanz, ONR, Northwestern University
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Adam Balvanz
Northwestern University

Adam Balvanz

I am a third year graduate student at Northwestern University in the Chemistry Ph.D. program. My current research is investigating chemically substituted metal halide perovskite compounds for applications in optoelectronics.
July 16, 2024 09:00

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Andrew Charbonneau, AFOSR, California Institute of Technology
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Andrew Charbonneau
California Institute of Technology

Andrew Charbonneau

4th year graduate student working at the intersection of computational physics and artificial intelligence.
July 16, 2024 09:00

Poster Talks Mechanical Engineering

Studio 8
Carlos Carrasquillo, ONR, Georgia Institute of Technology
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Carlos Carrasquillo
Georgia Institute of Technology

Carlos Carrasquillo

My name is Carlos Carrasquillo, and I am a 3rd year robotics PhD student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. I am also currently pursing master's in computer science and aerospace engineering. I received my bachelor's in computer engineering and mechanical engineering at the University of Florida. I enjoy anything and everything engineering, from mechatronics to artificial intelligence and control systems theory. I am currently working on the control of active wearable exoskeletons. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
July 16, 2024 09:15

DoD Presentation

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
SBIR/STTR Overview
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Renee Allen
United States Air Force

Renee Allen

Captain Renee Allen is the United Stated Air Force Academy, Air Force Institute of Technology and Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer Program Manager, Science and Engineering Division, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Arlington, Virginia. As the program manager, Captain Allen serves as the technical point-of- contact for the SBIR/STTR Commercialization Readiness Program to identify and evaluate Air Force needs and innovate solutions. Captain Allen is responsible for assessing the goals and objectives of SBIR programs to ensure their technologies are aligned with the needs identified by Air Force Program Executive Officers (PEOs). She accelerates the transition of SBIR-developed technologies into real-world military and commercial applications. Her interactions with the nation’s leading scientists and engineers help to identify breakthrough opportunities and support a $500 million investment portfolio. Captain Allen received her commission through the Air Force Officer Reserve Training Corps (AFROTC) at the University of Memphis and began her career as an acquisitions officer in May 2017. Throughout her career, Captain Allen has served in a variety of positions in science and technology, acquisition, and military readiness. Prior to her transition to the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Captain Allen completed her first assignment at Robins Air Force Base, Warner Robins, Georgia, where she served as a Program Manager for the Multi-Int Branch, Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS), Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C2ISR) Division. She was then assigned to the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) program office, where she was hand selected as the lead program manager for the Aircrew Training Device (ATD) and the Distributed Mission Operations Center (DMOC), where she was responsible for executing the maintenance and sustainment of the aircrew training system valued at over $35M. Additionally, Captain Allen served as a Master Resilience Trainer (MRT) and a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) certified Continuity of Operations Planner (COOP). EDUCATION 2017 Bachelor of Science, Biology, University of Memphis, TN 2020 Master of Science, Information Technology (IT) Management with Project Management, Trident University
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Michael Caccuitto
DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory

Michael Caccuitto

Michael J. Caccuitto III serves as the Branch Chief for Technology Integration and Outreach in the Office of Cross Competency Program Integration at the Army Research Office (ARO). The outreach programs he oversees manage more than $100 million per year in program activity. Those programs, designed to encourage and advance science and technology transfer, include: programs for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI), Educational Outreach Programs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program for ARO as well as an Army-wide STTR program. Prior to joining ARO, Mr. Caccuitto served as the administrator of the SBIR and STTR programs for the Department of Defense (DoD) under the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). He was responsible for policy, oversight and administration of the programs with a combined budget of more than $1 billion across the DoD. Before that, he worked in the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy, focusing on improving DoD access to innovation and emerging suppliers, and providing financial analysis to support industry merger and acquisition review. Mr. Caccuitto began his career as an officer in the US Air Force in a variety of research & development, acquisition program management and staff roles, retiring from the AF Reserve in February 2017. He received the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service and the Department of the Army Commander’s Award for Civilian Service. Mr. Caccuitto holds a master’s degree from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a bachelor’s degree in optics with high distinction from the University of Rochester. ARO is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory, the Army's corporate research laboratory also known as ARL.
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Michael Simpson, PhD
Office of Naval Research

Michael Simpson, PhD

Dr. Michael Simpson is the Naval STEM Grants Program Officer. Inspiring, developing, connecting, and maintaining access with people able to make Naval-important discoveries and solve problems is a major purpose of the program, as is relating with other STEM programs across DoD, governments, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, and academe. Michael was selected as a Naval civilian for this work on 29 December 2014. The convergence of expertise in Dr. Simpson’s experience is ideally suited to the work. Dr. Simpson has volunteered to mentor two new NDSEG Fellow mentees each year since the Mentor program began. He also has served each year as an NDSEG Planning Team member since the first Conference in San Diego CA, and variously as a poster evaluator, presenter and panelist organizer.

Prior to Naval STEM, Dr. Simpson directed the STEM program at the Computer Sciences Corporation where he integrated CSC’s STEM work with their corporate social responsibility and workforce development and delivery programs, as well as their Science Fellows program, all to ensure that the then-98,000 person global organization had the people it needed to make discoveries and solve problems of its clients, many of which were US Governmental including the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Air Force, and Army.

Dr. Simpson was the American Association for the Advancement of Science US Congressional Research Service Science Fellow in 1981. Michael was an analyst then headed the Life Sciences and Biomedical Policy Sections of CRS. Sound science advice to the US Congress was the result of this work.Dr. Simpson adjunct-taught fifty-nine sessions of upper-division undergraduate science policy to students from across the US interning in the Washington DC area, through The Washington Center.

Michael Simpson’s Doctorate in Environmental Sciences and Engineering was earned in 1987 at the University of California at Los Angeles. UC Berkeley is where he earned his Master of Science in 1979 in Energy and Resources. Michael earned his Master of Science in Biological Sciences in 1977 at the University of San Francisco. UC Berkeley is where he earned his Artis Baccalaureate in Biological Sciences in 1976. Michael grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and where he was born, Honolulu Hawaii.

July 16, 2024 09:15

Poster Talks Physics

Studio 1
Jacquelyn Ho, AFOSR, University of California Berkeley
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Jacquelyn Ho
University of California, Berkeley

Jacquelyn Ho

Jacquelyn is a PhD candidate in Physics at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses on controllable light-matter interactions by interfacing arrays of ultracold atoms with an optical cavity.
July 16, 2024 09:15

Poster Talks Chemistry

Studio 10
Carolyn Barnes, ONR, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Carolyn Barnes
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Carolyn Barnes

Carolyn Barnes is a fourth year graduate student at MIT advised by Prof. Laura Kiessling.
July 16, 2024 09:15

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Ishan Chatterjee, AFOSR, University of Washington
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Ishan Chatterjee
University of Washington

Ishan Chatterjee

Fifth year PhD and University of Washington
July 16, 2024 09:30

Poster Talks Physics

Studio 1
William Levine, AFOSR, Yale University
July 16, 2024 09:15

Poster Talks Mechanical Engineering

Studio 8
Calvin Colby, AFOSR, University of Connecticut
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Calvin Colby
University of Connecticut

Calvin Colby

Mechanical Engineering PhD student specializing in reactive, compressible flow modeling in aerospace applications
July 16, 2024 09:30

Poster Talks Chemistry

Studio 10
Caitlin Bellora, ONR, University of Chicago
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Caitlin Bellora
University of Chicago

Caitlin Bellora

Hello, my name is Caitlin Bellora and I am in the Engel group at the University of Chicago. My area of focus is in unraveling the excited state dynamics of chiral-TMD systems to inform the development of robust quantum information detectors that leverage the intrinsic spin-sorting capabilities of chiral molecules.
July 16, 2024 09:30

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Spencer Compton, ARO, Stanford University
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Spencer Compton
Stanford University

Spencer Compton

PhD student at Stanford studying Computer Science.
July 16, 2024 09:30

Poster Talks Mechanical Engineering

Studio 8
Mitchell Donoughue, AFOSR, Purdue University
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Mitchell Donoughue
Purdue University

Mitchell Donoughue

Mitchell is a PhD student at Purdue University investigating additive manufacturing of energetics. He is exploring the combination of fused filament fabrication (FFF) and direct ink write (DIW) processes to coprint highly-tailorable full propellant density grains.
July 16, 2024 09:45

Poster Talks Physics

Studio 1
Calder Miller, ARO, University of Colorado Boulder
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Calder Miller
JILA, NIST & the University of Colorado Boulder

Calder Miller

PhD student in AMO physics at JILA, NIST & the University of Colorado Boulder
July 16, 2024 09:45

Poster Talks Chemistry

Studio 10
Victoria Cinnater, ARO, Duke University
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Victoria Cinnater
Duke University

Victoria Cinnater

PhD Candidate
July 16, 2024 09:45

Poster Talks Mechanical Engineering

Studio 8
Bryan Habas, ARO, The Pennsylvania State University
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Bryan Habas
The Pennsylvania State University

Bryan Habas

Bryan Habas is currently pursuing his Ph.D. at The Pennsylvania State University, under the mentorship of Professor Cheng in the BioRob-InFL laboratory. He earned his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the same institution in 2021. Bryan’s research endeavors encompass a broad spectrum of areas including aerial robotics, control systems, applied machine learning, and the simulation of dynamic systems.
July 16, 2024 10:00

BREAK

July 16, 2024 10:15

DoD Presentation

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor

Army Fellowship Opportunities
Dr. Vallen Emery, and Mr. Joe Gamson

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Vallen Emery, PhD
DEVCOM Army Research laboratory

Vallen Emery, PhD

Dr. Vallen L. Emery, Jr. currently serves as the outreach program manager for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory (ARL). His efforts have contributed to the development of ARL’s educational outreach strategies regarding the shortfall of engineers and scientists entering the Federal workforce. Currently, Dr. Emery is working with the Deputy Undersecretary of Army and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Research and Technology) to develop and implement a comprehensive and cohesive strategy to enhance the Army’s engagement with the minority academic community and develop new research opportunities for students and faculty. Dr. Emery holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Morgan State University, a master’s degree in marine Estuarine and Environmental Science from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and a Doctorate degree in Marine, Estuarine and Environmental Science from the University of Maryland College Park.
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Joseph Gamson
DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory

Joseph Gamson

Mr. Joseph Gamson earned degrees in Biochemistry, Microbiology and an MBA from the University of Maryland, College Park. He started his Government career at the Detection Directorate of what was then the Chemical Research Development and Engineering Center (CRDEC) in Edgewood Maryland. He was part of the team that developed the Fox NBC Reconnaissance Vehicle. Later he moved to LABCOM to staff the CG’s dual hatted role of AMC DCG Technology, Planning and Management (TPM) as the NBC staff position. After the formation of ARL, Mr. Gamson stayed in the new Program Budget Office (PBO) to first as liaison to the Battlefield Environment Directorate (now CISD BED) and then to Sensor Electronic Device Directorate (SEDD). He also managed the annual update of the ARL Technology Planning Appendixes (TPAs) with the RDECOM Research Development and Engineering Centers (RDECs) which linked ARL’s research and provided a transition path to the RDEC’s development programs. With the consolidation of the old Tech Transfer Office was into PBO, Mr. Gamson picked up responsibilities for ARL’s Manufacturing Technology (MANTECH) program as well as our relationship with United States Military Academy (USMA) and the small postdoctoral program. Since then, the program has grown and expanded its options so than in FY23, more than 210 program participants (full time, part time and summer students) came through the program at a value of greater than $10M. He is a member of the Strategic Partnership Division’s Educational Outreach Branch.
July 16, 2024 10:15

Poster Talks Physics

Studio 1
Caitlin Patterson, ARO, University of California Santa Barbara
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Caitlin Patterson
University of California, Santa Barbara

Caitlin Patterson

Caitlin Patterson is a graduate student in the UC Santa Barbara physics department working in the group of Prof. Andrea Young. She received a B.Sc. in physics and mathematics from The Ohio State University in 2021. Her current work focuses on incorporating thermodynamically unstable rhombohedral graphene into van der Waals heterostructures for characterization in electronic transport to study. In particular, she hopes to elucidate the origin of superconductivity in flat band graphene systems.
July 16, 2024 10:15

Poster Talks Chemistry

Studio 10
Issac Craig, ONR, University of California Berkeley
July 16, 2024 10:15

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Zachary Fralish, ARO, Duke University
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Zachary Fralish
Duke University

Zachary Fralish

Zachary Fralish is a fifth year PhD candidate in the Reker lab at Duke University studying the use of machine learning as a tool to support prodrug design.
July 16, 2024 10:15

Poster Talks Mechanical Engineering

Studio 8
Talia Khan, ONR, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
July 16, 2024 10:30

Poster Talks Physics

Studio 1
William Schenken, ONR, University of Colorado Boulder
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William Schenken
JILA

William Schenken

Graduate student in Physics in Shuo Sun's lab at JILA.
July 16, 2024 10:30

Poster Talks Chemistry

Studio 10
Alex Fairhall, AFOSR, University of Wisconsin, Madison
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Alex Fairhall
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Alex Fairhall

Alex is a 4th year graduate student in the Goldsmith Group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focuses on the ground-up development of instrumentation to help study the unique behavior of single molecules. Outside of the lab, Alex enjoys riding his bike around the many lakes in Madison, playing volleyball, cooking new foods, and studying Japanese.
July 16, 2024 10:30

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Samantha Friess, AFOSR, University of Colorado Boulder
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Samantha Friess
University of Colorado at Boulder

Samantha Friess

Samantha (Sam) Friess is a Ph.D. student in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado (CU) at Boulder. She received an M.S. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences from CU in May of 2024. Prior to coming to Boulder, Sam received her B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Mathematics from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. Sam’s research interests include computational fluid dynamics, turbulence modeling, machine learning, and wind energy.
July 16, 2024 10:30

Poster Talks Mechanical Engineering

Studio 8
Nathaniel Mengers, ONR, Case Western Reserve University
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Nathaniel Mengers
Case Western Reserve University

Nathaniel Mengers

I am passionate about robotics, renewable energy systems, and environmental stewardship. After completion of my PhD, I hope to develop technology that supports the environment through ecological monitoring, renewable energy infrastructure maintenance, as well as waste mitigation and reduction.
July 16, 2024 10:45

Poster Talks Physics

Studio 1
Malik Walker, AFOSR, Johns Hopkins University
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Malik Walker
Johns Hopkins University

Malik Walker

I am a fifth year graduate student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Johns Hopkins University. I received my bachelors degree in Astrophysical Sciences from Princeton University in 2020, and my masters degree in Physics from Johns Hopkins in 2022. My current research interests lie in the field of space physics, where I concentrate on the study of Coronal Mass Ejections and their associated shock acceleration.
July 16, 2024 10:45

Poster Talks Chemistry

Studio 10
Nathan Harper, AFOSR, California Institute of Technology
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Nathan Harper
California Institute of Technology

Nathan Harper

I am a graduate student in chemistry at Caltech. I work at the intersection of integrated photonics, quantum optics, and spectroscopy. I am developing on-chip sources of entangled photons and the elements necessary for quantum state control. With these devices, the time and energy correlations of photon pairs can be harnessed to enable new forms of spectroscopy.
July 16, 2024 10:45

Poster Talks Mechanical Engineering

Studio 8
Joseph Molnar, ONR, The Pennsylvania State University
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Joseph Molnar
The Pennsylvania State University

Joseph Molnar

Joseph Molnar is a Ph.D. student in the Mechanical Engineering department at the Pennsylvania State University and a Department of Defense NDSEG graduate fellowship awardee. His interests are in metrology for high speed and reactive flows, data assimilation, and statistical methods for inverse problems.
July 16, 2024 10:50

DoD Presentation

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
AFOSR National Science Portal
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LaShauna Evans, PhD
Air Force Office of Scientific Research

LaShauna Evans, PhD

r. Evans is a program manager in the Science and Engineering Branch, AFOSR Arlington, VA. She leads the National Science Portal (NSP), an effort to increase the defense scientific research capacity at HBCU/MIs in areas critical to the future Department of the Air Force. NSP is intended to (1) attract faculty and students to conduct cutting- edge basic research in the technical areas, (2) build capacity needed to support this research, and (3) attract students to pursue studies leading to STEM careers, including in government, the defense industry, and academia. Dr. Evans will manage current awardees and facilitate this opportunity to develop and/or deepen partnerships with HBCU/MIs. Before entering public service, Dr. Evans supported various contractor roles as a Senior Program Analyst at the U.S. Department of Defense within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering in the DoD STEM Office. She was the lead action officer in the implementation and program management of the National Defense Education Program external grant (FY19 and FY20), totaling $82M in federal funding for 28 awardees focused on STEM education and workforce development for K-12 or postsecondary students in academia, government, and industry. She also supported the DoD SMART Program Office, a postsecondary scholarship for service program. She executed the SMART Scholar SEED Grant which provided research funding for scholars pursuing their PhD as they transition to the DoD civilian STEM workforce, and included planning professional development workshops and an annual review. She managed the re-invigoration of the SMART Scholar International Internship. In Summer 2023, ten scholars had internships with The von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (VKI) in Belgium and visited the U.S. Mission to NATO. In Summer 2024, the internship expanded from 1 to 4 international research sites and fourteen scholars with internships at VKI, Navy London Technology Bridge, Alan Turing Institute, and NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation. Lastly she co-developed the SMART Creative Research & Engineering Advancing Technical Equity in STEM (CREATES) grant opportunity for scholars and sponsoring facilities to execute partnerships with HBCU/MIs to provide awareness of the DoD STEM workforce which resulted in six grants for FY24. Dr. Evans previously completed a Science and Technology Policy Fellowship, through the American Association for the Advancement of Science, at the U.S. Department of State (2016-2018). There she worked in the Office of the Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary of State where she facilitated bilateral and multilateral science and technology capacity building and STEM education for girls and women. She represented the U.S. Department of State during the drafting of the White House Office of Science and Technology Federal STEM Education 5-Year Strategic Plan for 2018-2023. Dr. Evans’ laboratory research focused on understanding the effect of maternal stress (e.g. hypoxia, obesity, diabetes) on fetal programming of adult disease. The rapidly expanding field of fetal programming underscored the importance of the in utero environment, placental function, and fetal development as keys to future health. Dr. Evans graduated from Spelman College with a B.S. Biology and received her Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Her interest in science and STEM policy was a natural outgrowth from her journey through her academic training. She enthusiastically seeks to develop policies and strategies that will facilitate capacity building and enhance workforce development of scientists, engineers, and innovators in the 21st century
July 16, 2024 11:00

Poster Talks Physics

Studio 1
Eric Wolf, ARO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Eric Wolf
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Eric Wolf

Graduate researcher and Ph.D. candidate in the Zwierlein labs at MIT. Researching the physics of the imbalanced unitary Fermi gas.
July 16, 2024 11:00

Poster Talks Chemistry

Studio 10
Broderick Johnson, ARO, Northwestern University
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Broderick Johnson
Northwestern University

Broderick Johnson

Broderick Johnson is a fourth-year PhD Candidate in the Department of Chemistry at Northwestern University. Broderick's research is focused on utilizing supramolecular chemistry to unlock novel properties in organic nanomaterials. Potential applications of his research include the development sustainable electronics and regenerative medicines. In addition to his research, Broderick is Vice President & Treasurer of Northwestern's Science Policy Outreach Taskforce and a National Science Policy Network Science Policy Scholar in Residence.
July 16, 2024 11:00

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Keegan Harris, AFOSR, Carnegie Mellon University
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Keegan Harris
Carnegie Mellon University

Keegan Harris

Keegan Harris is a 4th year Ph.D. Student in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, where he is advised by Nina Balcan and Steven Wu, and supported by the NDSEG fellowship. His research interests include machine learning, algorithmic game theory, econometrics, and their various intersections. Previously, Keegan received a M.S. in Machine Learning from Carnegie Mellon University, a B.S. in Computer Science from Penn State University, and a B.S. in Physics from Penn State University. Outside of academia, Keegan has spent time at Microsoft Research and has served as a consultant for Vitable Health.
July 16, 2024 11:00

Poster Talks Mechanical Engineering

Studio 8
Christoph Nuesslein, ONR, Georgia Institute of Technology
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Christoph Nuesslein
Georgia Institute of Technology

Christoph Nuesslein

I am a Robotics PhD student at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the Exoskeleton and Prosthetic Intelligent Controls (EPIC) Lab (PI: Dr. Aaron Young). My doctoral research focuses on applying machine learning techniques to the control of lower-limb assistive devices. More broadly, my research interests include control, deep learning, sensor fusion, and wearable device development. Before coming to Georgia Tech, I graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and B.A. in German Studies in 2021. While there, I worked in research at the Mechatronics and Robotics Research Lab at UMass Amherst under Dr. Frank Sup. My most recent project there combined virtual reality and eye-tracking technology in tandem with a multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm to create an assistive system that would allow physically impaired users to interact with their environment.
July 16, 2024 11:15

Poster Talks Physics

Studio 1
Matthew Yeh, ARO, Harvard University
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Matthew Yeh
Harvard University

Matthew Yeh

4th year Applied Physics PhD student at Harvard University. Advisors: Marko Loncar, Evelyn Hu
July 16, 2024 11:15

Poster Talks Chemistry

Studio 10
Masamu Kawada, AFOSR, University of California Irvine
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Masamu Kawada
University of California, Irvine

Masamu Kawada

PhD Candidate in Organic Chemistry at the University of California, Irvine.
July 16, 2024 11:15

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Andreas Kellas, ONR, Columbia University
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Andreas Kellas
Columbia University

Andreas Kellas

Andreas Kellas is a Computer Science PhD student at Columbia University advised by Junfeng Yang. He focuses on computer system security and his research uses program analysis techniques to secure software systems from exploitation. He is interested in application hardening, vulnerability discovery, and verified correctness.
July 16, 2024 11:15

Poster Talks Mechanical Engineering

Studio 8

Kayla Bell, AFOSR, University of Alabama

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Kayla Bell
The University of Alabama

Kayla Bell

My name is Kayla Bell, and I am a 5th year PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at The University of Alabama. My research focuses on 3D numerical simulations of reacting rotating detonation engines. I primarily study the effect of geometric profiling on engine performance and operability. My background consists of fundamental combustion theory and computational fluid dynamics.
July 16, 2024 11:15

DoD Presentation

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
Career Development & Trajectories: DoD Human Resource Teams
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Ashley Morgan
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)/DPPT

Ashley Morgan

Ashley Morgan serves as the Chief of the Talent Acquisition Branch for the Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In this role, she is responsible for providing strategic level advisory services on all civilian talent acquisition initiatives across the Center. As the subject matter expert for obtaining top-tier talent, she manages and has oversight of the Center’s federal student programs, enterprise personnel data products to optimize decision making and strategic recruiting efforts as well as university relations. Prior to assuming this role. Ms. Morgan served as the Chief of Personnel Programs Branch, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In this capacity, she interpreted and developed policy and guidance impacting 70,000 civilian employees world-wide. Ms. Morgan’s career experiences include significant roles across the personnel community to include both APF and NAF Human Resources at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio and Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. These roles were a direct result of being selected as a Palace Acquire Intern at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. Ms. Morgan also served on the Commander’s Accelerated Initiatives Office, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Ohio driving change across the command for 89,000 personnel. Ms. Morgan received her bachelor’s degree in human resources management from the University of Maryland, University College Europe, and her Master of Business Administration from Webster University. She has also completed the University of Dayton’s Emerging Leader Program.
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Cheryl Renee Bitner
AFC, DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, Army Research Laboratory

Cheryl Renee Bitner

Ms. Cheryl Renee Bitner has been serving as the Chief, Civilian Human Resources for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities and Development Command, Army Research Laboratory (DEVCOM ARL) since 2016. Ms. Bitner has over 42 years of service with the federal government, beginning her career on a student appointment with the Department of the Army, Army Test and Evaluation Command and with the Ballistics Research Laboratory (now ARL) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. She went on to complete her Human Resources internship with the Department of Veterans Affairs in Baltimore, Maryland and in June 2000 returned to the Department of the Army in the Civilian Human Resources Agency, providing civilian human resources expertise to various regions and departments across the Army. Ms. Bitner lives in Maryland with her husband Dennis. They have two grown children, Holly and Daniel.
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Morgan Haynes
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

Morgan Haynes

Morgan Haynes is the Corporate Recruiter for the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). In this capacity, he plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of the NRL by identifying and recruiting top-tier talent to meet the laboratory's critical needs. Mr. Haynes partners with hiring managers to understand their specific staffing requirements and ensures the organization attracts the best candidates to drive NRL forward.Before assuming his current position, Mr. Haynes was NRL’s Training Officer, where he oversaw the mandatory training and career development programs for the laboratory's 2,700 civilian employees. During his tenure, he was able to lead the growth of the mentor program by 400% and created the NRL Leadership Academy. Mr. Haynes' career also includes time in academia: From 2013 to 2015, he worked in the Office of the Registrar at University of Maryland University College (UMUC), and from 2012 to 2013, he served as a Research Assistant in the Department of Psychology at Bowie State University.Mr. Haynes holds a Master of Science degree in HR Management and an MBA from the University of Maryland University College, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Bowie State University. He is also a Navy-certified mediator, adding a unique blend of skills and expertise to his role in talent acquisition and employee development.
July 16, 2024 12:00

LUNCH

Galerie Ballroom (123)
July 16, 2024 12:45

Lunch Panel Discussion

Galerie Ballroom (123)
DoD Senior Scientists - What is a Chief Scientist's role, How do you direct science for your agency?
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Gregory Lieberman, PhD
DEVCOM ARL Army Research Office

Gregory Lieberman, PhD

Dr. Gregory Lieberman is a cognitive and translational neuroscientist and Science Integration Officer at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory (ARL), where he works in the Army Research Office (ARO)’s Office of the Chief Scientist to co-lead strategy and stakeholder engagement. As a student and academic postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Lieberman contributed to and led research efforts centered on developing treatments for neurodegenerative disease, understanding the neural mechanisms underlying fear and anxiety, exploring the mechanisms of chronic pain and mild traumatic brain injury pathology and recovery, and advancing novel interventions to enhance cognitive performance. While working for ARL, he has led and contributed to high-priority Army research programs on human variability, performance, cognition, and expertise development; brain-computer interfaces; and effective human teaming with intelligent technologies. Away from the bench, Dr. Lieberman has served as an executive fellow for the ARL Director, on the DEVCOM HQ Science and Technology Integration Future of Work strategy team, and currently as the chair of ARL’s employee advisory committee for workforce enrichment, recruitment, and retention. Dr. Lieberman’s personal passion, technical expertise, and leadership philosophy converge on the importance of empowering people (including through mentoring), streamlining processes, innovating tools, and integrating all three to maximize human potential and organizational effectiveness
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Michele Gaudreault, PhD
United States Space Force

Michele Gaudreault, PhD

Dr. Michele Gaudreault is Chief Scientist, Space Operations Command, United States Space Force, Peterson SFB, Colorado. She leads scientific analysis and facilitates basic, applied, and advanced research and development needed for future space systems. Dr. Gaudreault has spent most of her career in government service, starting with a summer internship at the Air Force Test Pilot School. She served as a NASA Test Director during the construction and acceptance testing of the Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis and the modification of the orbiter Columbia. She served as a Shuttle Controls Engineer and then Ground Systems Engineer at Vandenberg AFB. She was the Vibrations Branch Chief in Structures Division of the Wright Laboratories (now Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)). She served as Director of Research for the US Air Force Academy’s Mathematics Department and served as an Associate Air Officer Commanding for Basic Cadet Training. She was selected as the first Chief Scientist of the Asian Office of Aerospace Research and Development, where she directed and coordinated Research and Development grants, technical interchanges, and conference support programs throughout Pacific Rim countries. At AFIT, she was a key player in the transition of the Systems Acquisition School to the main AFIT campus, and the subsequent stand-up of the Department of Systems Acquisition. In addition to being responsible for all of the Virtual Schoolhouse courses, she was also an Adjunct Professor for the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics in the School of Engineering and Management. She retired from active duty in 2004 and from the reserves in 2011. As Chief of Technology Assessments, she ensured future space capabilities by facilitating and promoting basic and advanced space research to develop critical new technologies. As the Technical Director for the Directorate of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance, she advised the director on science and technology pertinent to ISR and facilitated basic, applied, and advanced research and development needed for future ISR.
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Ananthram Swami, PhD
DEVCOM Army Research laboratory

Ananthram Swami, PhD

Dr. Swami received a Bachelor of Technology from IIT-Bombay, Master of Science from Rice University and Ph.D. from the University of Southern California (USC), all in Electrical Engineering. Prior to joining ARL, he held research positions with Unocal Corporation, USC, CS-3, and Malgudi Systems. He was a statistical consultant to the California Lottery and has held visiting faculty positions at Institut National Polytechnique (France) and Imperial College (UK). Swami's research interests are in the broad areas of network science, with emphasis on sensor and mobile ad hoc networks, signal processing for communications, cyber security, and their intersection with machine learning (ML). Recent research focus has been on adversarial ML, on which he has given invited talks at INFORMS’21, ICNP’20 & CAMSAP’19, and the application of domain-informed ML to communications, on which he co-led a tutorial at IEEE ICMLCN’24. He is co-author of Network Tomography (Cambridge University Press, 2021), co-editor of IoT for Defense & National Security (IEEE/Wiley, 2023) and Wireless Sensor Networks: Signal Processing & Communications Perspectives (Wiley, 2007). He has published over 550 journal and conference papers in signal processing, communication networks, cyber security and network science, garnering over 38,000 citations; and holds four patents. Recent awards include: 2023 IEEE ICC Best Paper Award, 2020 Army Civilian Service Commendation medal, 2018 IEEE ComSoc MILCOM Technical Achievement Award, 2017 Presidential Rank Award (Meritorious), 2016 ARL Publication Award, a 2015 IEEE GLOBECOM best paper award. Swami is a member of AAAS, and a Fellow of the IEEE and of ARL
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Andrew Robertson, PhD
Naval Research Laboratory

Andrew Robertson, PhD

Dr. Andrew Robertson is Chief Scientist for the Information Operations Branch at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC. A 2007 NDSEG fellow, he joined NRL’s Information Technology Division in 2011 after finishing his Ph.D. in physics at the University of Maryland with a thesis on non-equilibrium quantum statistics. His work centered on jam-resistant communications, multi-receiver sensing, and electronic attack until 2016 when he was attached to a large Navy effort concerning the detection of covert signals. Since then he has been inventing and characterizing detection methods to assess stealth waveforms for DoD and Intelligence Community customers.
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William Pat Roach, PhD
Air Force Office of Scientific Research/CL

William Pat Roach, PhD

Dr. William P. Roach, a member of the Scientific and Professional Cadre of Senior Executives, is Chief Scientist, Air Force Office of Scientific Research Arlington Va. Dr. Roach is the principal science and technology adviser to the Director in matters of formulation, planning, managing and integration of all Air Force basic research programs. The office has a staff of roughly 200 people and an annual working budget nearly $500 million that support more than 5,000 worldwide basic research projects critical to the defense of the U.S. The office selects, sponsors, and manages research relevant to Air and Space Force needs in science and technology, and is the single manager for the entire Air and Space Force basic research programs. Dr. Roach began his career as an enlisted member of the United States Air Force in 1971 serving with the 23rd TFW, the 388th TFW, the 90th SMW, and the 442nd TFW. He received a direct commission to Captain in 1990 after receiving his Ph.D. in Physics and assigned to the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, Optical Radiation Bioeffects Division Brooks AFB, TX. Upon retirement from the active duty with the Air Force in 2005, Dr. Roach joined the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)’s Human Effectiveness Directorate, Special Operations and Projects Division as a Senior Research Physicist. Academically Dr. Roach has served as Professor of Preventative Medicine and Biometrics at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences from 1996-2001, Adjunct Professor of Physics University of Texas San Antonio in 2010, Adjunct Associate Professor of Physics Delaware State University 2017-2018 and Research Professor Vanderbilt University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering 2017-2019. Dr. Roach has authored and co-authored over 175 refereed and non-refereed journal and proceedings articles, over 1000 conference presentations, technical reports, conference publications, and edited two books. Google Scholar list Professor William P. Roach as achieving 2464 Citations, an h-index of 26 and an i10-index of 48.
July 16, 2024 13:45

BREAK

July 16, 2024 14:00

DoD Presentation

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor

DoD Research Funding Opportunities
(DEPSCoR, DURIP, MURI, SFFP, YIP)

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Edward Lee
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

Edward Lee

Mr. Edward J. Lee is the Program Manager for Historically Black Colleges and Universities / Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MI’s) for the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) in Arlington, VA, one of the 11 directorates that comprise the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). He is responsible for coordinating activities that provide funding support to minority-serving institutions across the nation. Mr. Lee has worked for the AFOSR since 1997, initially overseeing the University Research Initiative program. Ed is also a graduate from an HBCU, Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland and in 2013 authored his first book, The Soul of Man.
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Kimberly Jacoby Morris, PhD
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

Kimberly Jacoby Morris, PhD

Dr. Kimberly J. Jacoby Morris is the STEM Program Coordinator for the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, in Arlington, VA. Dr. Jacoby is responsible for managing activities that improve scientific literacy among students, educators and the public to foster a highly skilled workforce. Her leadership ensures that education funding opportunities and community-based program initiatives promote the engagement of diverse audiences in understanding and contributing to technological advancements. Programs that contribute directly to this effort are the STEM Education and Outreach Program, the ASSURE Program, the Summer Faculty Fellowship Program and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars Program. Dr. Jacoby enjoys developing creative solutions to address challenges in workforce development. Prior to this position Dr. Jacoby was an Education Specialist in the Education and Community Involvement Branch at the National Human Genome Research Institute which is a part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. As an Education Specialist she was responsible for managing STEM education and outreach programs, developing educational resources and coordinating digital assets. Her passion for education was inspired by her extensive teaching experience during graduate school and her post-graduate guest lecturer opportunities at Bryn Mawr College.Before transitioning full-time to the field of education outreach, Dr. Jacoby completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the late Dr. George Harold Patterson at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering which is a part of the National Institutes of Health. While working with Dr. Patterson, Dr. Jacoby developed novel near-IR fluorescent probes and extended the photoswitchable FRET technique to democratize costly scientific experiments.
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Katie Wisecarver
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

Katie Wisecarver

Katie A. H. Wisecarver is a Senior Psychologist in the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Science and Engineering Collaboration Branch, Arlington, VA. She has over 13 years of civilian service as a Program Manager in the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) enterprise, working directly with multi-agency, multiservice teams to execute basic research and technology transition efforts on behalf of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of the Air Force (DAF). Ms. Wisecarver serves as the AFOSR Program Manager and the Department of Defense (DoD) Program Manager for the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP), building capacity across the DAF (including US Space Force) in areas of importance to DoD strategic basic science and technology goals. She also manages the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) for AFOSR, bringing multidisciplinary research teams together to tackle the critical basic research needs facing the DAF and DoD through very-high risk, high-reward research projects. In these roles, she helps shape the future force and meet the technology needs of tomorrow’s Air Force and Space Force by growing the DoD research base, providing big-win research capacity, and stimulating the growth of emerging technologies via accelerated transition of findings to practical applications. She is also a certified Master Resiliency Trainer for the AF Comprehensive Airmen Fitness program and a nationally certified victim advocate with the AF Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Program. Prior to her current position, Ms. Wisecarver served in several roles at AFOSR including: Program Manager for the Defense Enterprise Science Initiative (DESI) pilot program, bringing together industry and university teams for rapid innovation; Program Manager for the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) Small Grants Program, supporting research for AFIT faculty and students; and Program Manager for the Awards to Stimulate and Support Undergraduate Research Experiences (ASSURE) program, a collaborative effort between DoD and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Ms. Wisecarver also served as an Assistant Program Manager for life sciences portfolios and as a contracting officer’s representative. She is also experienced in STEM outreach, business management, and strategic planning. Prior to entering public service, Ms. Wisecarver served as a Resource Analyst in the toxicology division at a clinical research organization in Virginia. Preceding that position, she worked in both in-patient and out-patient psychology in South Carolina.
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Ellen Robinson
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

Ellen Robinson

Ellen M. Robinson is a Senior General Engineer in the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Science and Engineering Division, Science and Engineering Collaboration Branch, Arlington, VA. Mrs. Robinson has served over eight years as a Program Manager for AFOSR STEM workforce development initiatives within the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) (AFRL) enterprise. She manages the AFRL Science and Technology Fellowship Program (STFP), the AFOSR Young Investigators Research Program (YIP), and the AFOSR Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE). Mrs. Robinson also serves as the AFRL Program Manager and the Department of Defense (DoD) Program Manager for the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) Program. She currently serves as the Contracting Officer Representative for two STEM fellowship program contracts. These programs are crucial in developing and bolstering the DoD STEM future pipeline for scientists and engineers (S&Es) in DoD relevant research areas and shaping future DoD research needs. These programs also support post-docs and senior researchers whose research aligns and supports the DoD and Department of the Air Force (DAF), including the United States Space Force, missions. In these roles, she develops STEM workflow development policies in innovative, high risk high reward research, plans and executes budgets totaling over $200M annually for early career scientists and engineers and STEM graduate scholars.Since joining the Air Force as a civilian in November 1989, Mrs. Robinson has served in several roles in the Aeronautical Systems Center and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) including avionics design and laser optical communications design engineer, business and financial management, strategic development planning and programming. Prior to her current assignment, Mrs. Robinson was Deputy Program Manager in the STEM development office where she developed an AF wide K-12 AF STEM Outreach education program establishing policies and programs to interest K-12 students in STEM academic studies and careers of AF mission needs. She was instrumental in establishing the AF blueprint in the DoD STEM portfolio. She also co-authored with her DoD sister services STEM workforce development initiatives for near, mid, and far term.She has used her depth of experience in strategic planning, budgeting, and execution in forecasting specific STEM needs vital for the future workforce as it relates to DoD and DAF missions.
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Reginald Williams, PhD
Office of Naval Research (ONR)

Reginald Williams, PhD

Reggie Williams is the program manager for the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program (YIP), Research Opportunities for Program Officers (ROPO), In-house Laboratory Independent Research (ILIR), Independent Applied Research (IAR), Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP) for undergraduate and graduate students, and the Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) for high school students. He also manages the OUSD Basic Research Office Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship (VBFF) funding opportunity announcement and grant awards. Previously he managed programs in the Propulsion and Power Engineering competency at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Patuxent River, MD. His assignments included managing the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) programs, high-speed engine technology demonstrators, and turbine engine analysis. In private industry, Dr. Williams managed technology programs and conducted experimental and computational research in advanced propulsion integration for industrial, commercial, and military applications. Dr. Williams received his PhD, MS, and BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland at College Park.
July 16, 2024 14:00

Poster Talks Aero/Astro

Studio 1
Rahul Arun, AFOSR, California Institute of Technology
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Rahul Arun
California Institute of Technology

Rahul Arun

Rahul is a PhD student in Aeronautics at Caltech, advised by Professor Tim Colonius in the Computational and Data-Driven Fluid Dynamics group. He received his M.S. in Aeronautics (2022) and his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with an Aerospace minor (2021) at Caltech. Rahul develops techniques to model, predict, and control turbulent flows by blending theoretical, numerical, and experimental approaches.
July 16, 2024 11:45

BREAK

Lunch Prep

July 16, 2024 14:00

Poster Talks Chemistry

Studio 10
Elizabeth Lineberry, ARO, University of California Berkeley
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Elizabeth Lineberry
University of California, Berkeley

Elizabeth Lineberry

Elizabeth Lineberry is a graduate student in Peidong Yang's lab at the University of California, Berkeley. She investigates key redox cofactors in the biotic/abiotic interface of photosynthetic biohybrids for CO2 upgrading.
July 16, 2024 14:00

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Hunter Lang, ONR, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
July 16, 2024 14:00

Poster Talks Mechanical Engineering

Studio 8
Abhinav Ramkumar, AFOSR, Purdue University
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Abhinav Ramkumar
Purdue University

Abhinav Ramkumar

My name is Abhinav Ramkumar and I am a 4th year PhD Candidate at Purdue University in the School of Mechanical Engineering. My research interests lie at the intersection of statistical physics, network science, and machine learning in applications to solid mechanics and materials science, and the broader field of complex systems. My vision is to utilize these scientific tools in order to understand the structures and dynamics present in complex systems and to design the next generation of cutting edge physical systems, with an understanding of how information propagates across scales. I am a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania in the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER) with a B.A. in Physics, a B.S.E. in Materials Science and Engineering, and a minor in South Asia Studies.
July 16, 2024 14:15

Poster Talks Aero/Astro

Studio 1
Jasmine Chang, ONR, University of Michigan
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Jasmine Chang
University of Michigan

Jasmine Chang

Jasmine is a PhD Candidate studying Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan. She works with Professor Carlos Cesnik. Her research focuses on developing frequency-domain aeroelastic solutions for whirl flutter prediction. Jasmine previously received a B.S.E. and M.S.E. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of Michigan.
July 16, 2024 14:15

Poster Talks Chemistry

Studio 10
Abigail Linhart, ONR, University of Tennessee - Knoxville
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Abigail Linhart
University of Tennessee - Knoxville

Abigail Linhart

Abigail Linhart received her B.S. in Chemistry from Lewis University in 2018 and then completed an M.S. in Chemistry and Physics in 2021. Her thesis work focused on the strategic design and characterization of stimuli-responsive nanocomposite systems. In 2021, she began her PhD studies at the University of Tennessee in Polymer Chemistry with Dr. Michael Kilbey. Her current research looks to elucidate relationships between molecular design, organization, and electrical properties of novel conjugated polymers.
July 16, 2024 14:15

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Alexander Lin, AFOSR, Harvard University
July 16, 2024 14:15

Poster Talks Mechanical Engineering

Studio 8
Eric Stewart, ARO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Eric Stewart
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Eric Stewart

PhD Candidate | MIT MechE
July 16, 2024 14:30

Poster Talks Aero/Astro

Studio 1

Maison Clouatre, ONR, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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Maison Clouatre
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Maison Clouatre

Maison Clouâtré is pursuing the Ph.D. degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA, where he is a member of the Wireless Information and Network Sciences Laboratory (WINS Lab). Prior to joining MIT, he received the B.S.E. in electrical engineering and the B.S. in mathematics from Mercer University, Macon, GA, USA. His research focus is at the intersection of information and control in both classical and quantum domains, with application to sensing, communication, and computation. He has held research positions at MIT, Texas A&M University, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Mercer University. In 2021 he participated in the MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP) as a member of WINS Lab. Mr. Clouâtré is a recipient of the Department of Defense (DoD) National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship and of the Tau Beta Pi Fellowship. As an undergraduate, he received the Barry Goldwater scholarship and the Stamps scholarship.
July 16, 2024 14:30

Poster Talks Chemistry

Studio 10
Ashley Nensel, AFOSR, Northwestern University
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Ashley Nensel
Northwestern University

Ashley Nensel

Graduate Researcher working in the fields of organic chemistry, materials science, and chemical biology who is working to develop proteomimetic polymer platforms for human disease and enhanced materials properties.
July 16, 2024 14:30

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Evan Palmer, ARO, Oregon State University
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Evan Palmer
Oregon State University

Evan Palmer

I am a second-year Robotics Ph.D. student in the Collaborative Robotics and Intelligent Systems Institute at Oregon State University. My research explores the intersection of optimization and machine learning for motion planning and control of robotic systems that operate in challenging environments and have uncertain dynamics.
July 16, 2024 14:30

Poster Talks Mechanical Engineering

Studio 8
Claire Traweek, ONR, Harvard University
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Claire Traweek
Harvard University

Claire Traweek

Claire is a second year mechanical engineering PhD student at Harvard University, interested in improving the design and function of exoskeletons for human augmentation.
July 16, 2024 14:45

Poster Talks Aero/Astro

Studio 1
Ryan DeBoskey, ARO, North Carolina State University
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Ryan DeBoskey
NC State University

Ryan DeBoskey

Ryan DeBoskey is a 2022 NDSEG fellow and PhD Student at NC State University studying Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. In collaboration with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, his research focuses on using advanced computational and experimental methods to study solid fuel combustion with applications in aerospace propulsion.
July 16, 2024 14:45

Poster Talks Chemistry

Studio 10
Kaleolani ogura, AFOSR, University of California Irvine
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Kaleoani Ogura
University of California Irvine

Kaleoani Ogura

PhD candidate in inorganic chemistry at UCI.
July 16, 2024 14:45

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Michael Piseno, ONR, Stanford University
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Michael Piseno
Stanford University

Michael Piseno

Robotics and Computer Graphics student studying representation learning and multi-modality for robotics.
July 16, 2024 14:45

Poster Talks Mechanical Engineering

Studio 8
Nikhil Tulshibagwale, AFOSR, University of California Santa Barbara
July 16, 2024 15:00

DoD Presentation

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor

DEIA Presentation
DoD HBCU/MSI Program Manager

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Evelyn Kent
Defense Pentagon

Evelyn Kent

Director, Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions Program Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. Mrs. Evelyn Kent serves in several capacities within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering where she provides technical support to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology. She is the Department of Defense (DoD) Program Director for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MI) Program. In this capacity, she oversees the HBCU/MI Programs, which include Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU), Asian American (AA), Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (NHPI), and other underrepresented minority communities. These program funds support basic research, equipment and instrumentation upgrades, graduate fellowships, scholarships, research and education centers, and other activities focused on attracting underrepresented minorities to the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines important to the DoD national security mission. Mrs. Kent represents the DoD on the White House Initiatives Executive Orders for HBCUs and MIs. Her career spans over 45 years of government service in the information technology, weapon systems acquisition, international affairs, environmental life sciences, and the command, control, and intelligence environment. Mrs. Kent holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Southern University Baton Rouge and a Master of Science degree in Acquisitions Administration from Central Michigan University. She is also a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute Leadership Program in Charlottesville, VA. Mrs. Kent is the recipient of the Department of Defense Exceptional Civilian Service Award. Mrs. Kent’s awards also include the 2012 Women of Color STEM Career Achievement award.
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Treva Brown

Treva Brown

July 16, 2024 15:00

Poster Talks Aero/Astro

Studio 1
Laurie Elkowitz, AFOSR, University of Virginia
July 16, 2024 15:00

Poster Talks Chemistry

Studio 10
Yuki Osumi, ARO, Johns Hopkins University
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Yuki Osumi
Johns Hopkins University

Yuki Osumi

Yuki was raised in Lodi, NJ and first became interested in chemistry in high school. While getting his bachelors at Rutgers University - New Brunswick, Yuki did research as an undergraduate research assistant on metal organic frameworks under Dr. Jing Li and on Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions of N-acyl succinimide under Dr. Michal Szostak at Rutgers - Newark. He also helped co-found a startup, Sulis, focused on a photocatalytic water cleaning device. He is currently a 4th year PhD candidate of Chemistry working in Sara Thoi's lab at Johns Hopkins University. In his research, he has done work on a range of next-gen Li battery projects pertaining to Li-S batteries, Li metal batteries, and Li SEI studies. His work also includes the implementation of metal organic frameworks (MOFs) into batteries to resolve some of the longstanding issues in the next-gen battery research field.
July 16, 2024 15:00

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Joseph Reeves, AFOSR, Carnegie Mellon Universty
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Joseph Reeves
Carnegie Mellon University

Joseph Reeves

My name is Joseph Reeves and I am a PhD student (began Fall 2020) at Carnegie Mellon University advised by Marijn Heule and Randy Bryant. In general, I am interested in finding short explainable proofs for problems solved by satisfiability (SAT) solvers, both focusing on stronger proof systems (PR) and proof shrinking via. proof skeletons. Recently, I have been exploring the ways in which a cardinality-based input could improve SAT solver performance, both for sequential and parallel solving. In the past, I have worked on projects that generate structured CNF benchmarks to experimentally evaluate state-of-the-art SAT solvers. I also worked with QBF pre-processing, moving definition variables to improve solver performance.
July 16, 2024 15:00

Poster Talks Mechanical Engineering

Studio 8
Gabrielle Wink, ARO, Northwestern University
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Gabrielle Wink
Northwestern University

Gabrielle Wink

I am a Ph.D candidate at Northwestern University in the Center for Robotics and Biosystems, and a member of Dr. MacIver's Lab. I am currently pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on robotics, animal behavior studies, and neurobiology.
July 16, 2024 15:15

Poster Talks Aero/Astro

Studio 1
James Fields, AFOSR, The Ohio State University
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James Fields
The Ohio State University

James Fields

James Fields is a PhD candidate at The Ohio State University. His research interests are fluid-structure interactions, flow control, and resolvent analysis.
July 16, 2024 15:15

Poster Talks Chemistry

Studio 10
John Dickenson, ARO, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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John Dickenson
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

John Dickenson

John Dickenson earned a B.S in Chemistry from the Virginia Military Institute, graduating in 2020. During his time there, he worked with Dr. Daniel Harrison synthesizing and electrochemically characterizing novel terpyridine and terpyridine-like first row transition metal complexes. He joined the Meyer Lab at UNC in January 2021, where he began by working on molecular photocatalysts for energy storage. Since 2022, he has focused on exploring charge carrier dynamics in silicon photoelectrodes to determine optimal conditions for electron transfer across the semiconductor-electrolyte interface.
July 16, 2024 15:15

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Bhaskar Roberts, ONR, University of California Berkeley
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Bhaskar Roberts
UC Berkeley

Bhaskar Roberts

I'm a PhD student in computer science at Berkeley, advised by Sanjam Garg and Umesh Vazirani. The focus of my research is designing cryptographic schemes for quantum computers that provide distinctly quantum forms of security. As an undergrad at Princeton (class of 2019), I studied electrical engineering with a minor in applied math. Mark Zhandry helped me find my footing in computer science and served as my primary research advisor.
July 16, 2024 15:15

Poster Talks Mechanical Engineering

Studio 8

Andrew Curtis, ARO, Northwestern University (2021 Fellow)

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Andrew Curtis
Northwestern University

Andrew Curtis

I am a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University. I am interested in the intersections of mechanical engineering and systems engineering, specifically the design, control, and experimentation of multi-robot systems and swarm robotic systems. I am shifting the paradigm of swarm shape formation from shapes formed statically to shapes formed dynamically such that the swarm can persist in its formation continuously while remaining adaptive to human-initiated shape changes. I also design and build small, single rotor flying robots that are inherently human-safe to study human-swarm interaction.
July 16, 2024 15:30

POSTER EXHIBIT HALL OPEN

Fellows to stand next to Posters, DoD & Fellows Networking Session
July 16, 2024 16:00

DoD Presentation

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
Scientific Ethics and Social Responsibility
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Laura Steckman, PhD
Air Force Office of Scientific Research

Laura Steckman, PhD

Dr. Laura Steckman joined the Air Forced Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) as a Program Officer in November 2019. She manages the Trust & Influence program, which funds basic research advancing the science of trust in human-machine teaming, human-agent interaction, and autonomy, and the science of social influence, including how the construct transcends online and offline networks to affect behavior. She is also the program coordinator for AFOSR’s involvement in the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Minerva Defense Research Institute program, the Department of Defense’s premiere basic social research program that funds multidisciplinary research on complex topics intended to inform national policy and strategy.

Dr. Steckman has dedicated her professional career to supporting the advancement of Information and Influence Operations for the DoD and other US government agencies. Prior to joining AFOSR, Dr. Steckman spent 3 years with the MITRE Corporation primarily developing novel operational strategies and technologies to support the current and future fight in the Information Environment and Joint All-Domain Operations. She has led and contributed to multiple efforts within and across the DoD, IC, and Interagency focused on Operations in theInformation Environment (OIE), one of which included multiple extended Temporary Duty (TDY) assignments to support the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR). Dr. Steckman’s prior positions included spending 3 years as the Command Social Scientist at the US Marine Corps Information Operations Center (MCIOC), where she advanced Information Operations (IO) and Military Information Support Operations (MISO) through original and collaborative research, capability and technology evaluations, PME instruction, redesigning MOS-specific training, and contributions to doctrine and operational strategy development, such as the assessment appendix to Joint Publication 3-13 Information Operations, US Special Operations Command’s (USSOCOM’s) Joint Concept for Human Aspects in Military Operations, and the Joint Information Operation Warfare Center’s (JIOWC) Joint Concept for Operations in the Information Environment (JCOIE). In addition, she worked with the US Pacific Command’s (USPACOM’s) J2 Joint Intelligence Operations Center (JIOC) supporting the J3 to enhance Asia Pacific-specific operations and intelligence through novel research and advanced research methodologies. She also stood up and led an IO/MISO effort supporting the US Central Command (USCENTCOM) J3.

Dr. Steckman received her PhD in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where her research focused on the sociopolitical determinants influencing the evolution of Borneo’s indigenous identities over multiple centuries. Her most recent degree is a Masters in Media Psychology from Fielding Graduate University. She has traveled extensively in more than 60 countries and has studied more than two dozen languages.
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Gregory Ruark, PhD
Army Research Office, DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory ARL

Gregory Ruark, PhD

Dr. Gregory Ruark is the Program Manager for Social Sciences within the Humans in Complex Systems competency at DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory - Army Research Office (ARO). In this role, he supports basic research to enhance fundamental understanding for the interdependent, reciprocal, and complex relationships across social systems accounting for environmental (natural, human-built, and virtual) factors needed to enhance future warfighters’ performance across operational contexts. Dr. Ruark also serves as the Army’s Program Manager for the Minerva Research Initiative at the Office of Undersecretary of Defense, Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) where he supports basic social science research focused on increasing U.S. knowledge of and awareness for global social, cultural, and political forces of national security interest. Prior to joining ARO, he served nearly 16 years of Civilian Service with the Army Research Institute (ARI), initially as an applied researcher that earned him the 2011 Army R&D Achievement Award for Technical Excellence and the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service, and subsequently as Team Leader, and then Chief of ARI’s basic research program supporting fundamental research within the organizational sciences domain. Dr. Ruark earned his Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of Oklahoma in 2006. He is published in peer-reviewed organizational and management journals in the areas of emotions, leader processes and development, and culture.
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Benjamin Whitmore, PhD
Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) - Pacific

Benjamin Whitmore, PhD

Ben works as a scientist/oceanographer with the Environmental Sciences Branch of NIWC Pacific and has been at NIWC for 4.5 years now. Ben came to NIWC, as a result of the SMART Scholarship program. He received his PhD in Oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 2019. He enjoys hiking, playing with his dog, and attending trivia nights.
July 16, 2024 16:00

Poster Talks Aero/Astro

Studio 1
Alexandra Forsey-Smerek, ONR, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Alexandra Forsey-Smerek
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Alexandra Forsey-Smerek

Alexandra is an MIT PhD student in the AeroAstro department, and a member of the Interactive Robotics Group in MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). Her research interests are in developing methods that enable humans to accurately and efficiently task autonomous agents using diverse forms of human input. Alexandra previously received both her bachelor’s (2020) and master’s (2022) degrees in Aerospace Engineering from MIT. In her free time she is usually outside (running or skiing, depending on the season), or spending time with friends.
July 16, 2024 16:00

Poster Talks Chemistry

Studio 10

Clair Travis, AFOSR, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2021 Fellow)

July 16, 2024 16:15

Poster Talks Aero/Astro

Studio 1
Jennifer Horing, AFOSR, University of Colorado Boulder
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Jennifer Horing
University of Colorado Boulder

Jennifer Horing

Jenny Horing is a PhD student at the University of Colorado Boulder advised by Dr. Iain Boyd. She is an NDSEG fellow and a Smead Scholar. Her work primarily involves aero-thermo-elastic analysis and optimization of scramjet inlet.
July 16, 2024 16:15

Poster Talks Physics

Studio 10

Natalie Schultz, AFOSR, University of Arizona (2021 Fellow), Physics

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Natalie Shultz
University of Arizona

Natalie Shultz

Natalie earned her B.S. in optical engineering from the University of Arizona and is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Arizona Wyant College of Optical Sciences working in the Soft Nano-Photonics Systems Laboratory under Dr. Euan McLeod. The focus of her research is the design and assembly of microstructures using optical tweezers. Her research interests include optical materials and understanding how light interacts with materials to create systems with novel properties.
July 16, 2024 16:30

Poster Talks Physics

Studio 10

Alexander Zlokapa, AFOSR, Massachusetts Institute of Technology   (2021 Fellow), Physics

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Alexander Zlokapa
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Alexander Zlokapa

PhD candidate, physics, MIT
July 16, 2024 16:30

Poster Talks Aero/Astro

Studio 1
Vanessa, Rubien, ARO, University of Southern California
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Vanessa Rubien
University of Southern California

Vanessa Rubien

Vanessa Rubien is a fourth year Ph.D. student in the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Southern California with an emphasis in Fluid Dynamics. Vanessa received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona in 2020. Her research at USC is focused on the use of high-fidelity numerical simulation to model and analyze phenomena occurring in high-speed turbulent fluid flows. In the future, Vanessa hopes to apply knowledge gained in high-speed aerodynamics research to cutting-edge programs that work with emerging hypersonic technology.
July 16, 2024 16:45

DoD Presentation

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
ARL Regional Sites Overview
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Pete Khooshabeh, PhD
DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory

Pete Khooshabeh, PhD

Dr. Peter Khooshabeh is a cognitive scientist and ARL West Regional Lead, which comprises the broader Pacific region foundational science and technology workforce for the United States Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s (DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory) research laboratory (ARL). As the first regional site for the Army in the West Coast region that started in 2016, ARL West represents core competencies of humans in complex systems, military information science, biotechnology science, and photonics, electronic, and quantum sciences. In his role as regional lead, he cultivates trusted partnerships through technical business development to solve complex problems for the Army S&T Enterprise. ARL West partnerships provides fundamental knowledge and pathways to operationalize science towards new warfighter capabilities. Dr. Khooshabeh oversees the daily operation of a combination of 40 government civilians and contractors, including students, postdoctoral fellows, and visiting researchers. Prior to leading ARL West, he was a team leader and research psychologist in the ARL Human Research and Engineering Directorate, embedded as a field office within the Army’s Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) at the University of Southern California since 2010. As a team leader, he built several collaborations across the ICT and the Army’s Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies (ICB), an Army University Affiliated Research Center (UARC). Dr. Khooshabeh has been a principal investigator on projects that leverage wearable physiological sensors for improved human machine integration; as well as fundamental and applied esearch on training effectiveness for immersive simulations. He has over 60 peerreviewed publications in the areas of cognitive science and human-computer interaction. Dr. Khooshabeh has also contributed to research projects across a multitude of government and defense research labs such as the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Lab, NASA Ames Research Center and Air Force Research Lab, in addition to private industry at IBM Research. Having had prior experience working with venture capitalists intersecting with academic research and within a venturedbacked (unicorn) startup, he was competitively selected as a Defense Ventures (DV) Fellow, a program of funded by Air Force (AF)Ventures. As a DV Fellow, he works to strengthen private sector relationships, especially with nontraditional companies, with DoD innovators and identify ways to partner on technical investments and capability developments. Dr. Khooshabeh graduated with high honors with a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and earned his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Psychological and Brain Sciences from the University of California at Santa Barbara, all in the field of cognitive science with emphasis in computational modeling.
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Robert Kania, PhD
Army Research Labs

Robert Kania, PhD

Dr. Robert T. Kania is the Lead within the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory) Army Research Laboratory (ARL) Central Region in Chicago, Illinois since August 2023. ARL is comprised of a collaborative workforce that is geographically dispersed in order to access and leverage talent from across the United States. ARL’s main campuses are in Maryland, North Carolina, and New Mexico, with ‘regional’ locations in Playa Vista, CA, Austin, TX, Chicago, IL and Burlington, MA. These regional teams facilitate the close collaboration of Army researchers with universities, other government agencies, and large and small companies to build a trusted network of experts and facilities that can be accessed to address the Army’s unique challenges and enable the acceleration and transition of science and technology to influence future warfighting concepts. As a Regional Lead, he is responsible for serving as primary regional point of contact to engage with external organizations to explore collaboration opportunities with DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory ARL and the Army. He identifies and builds trusted extensive networks of individuals and organizations in industry, academia, and other external agencies. The primary functions of the regional leads is to leverage the diversity of expertise and resources within the regional S&T ecosystem to accelerate and transition innovation while cultivating talent. Dr. Kania was seen as an ideal candidate through his previous special assignment to ARL's Vehicle Technologies Directorate and his overseas assignment as the Director of Robotics and Autonomy for the International Technologies Center - Pacific (ITCPAC). Prior to switching to ARL, Dr. Kania did a second tour with Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC), now the Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) - Ground Vehicle Robotics (GVR) in July of 2019 as the Division Chief for Combat Robotics & Teaming. In this role he leads both project and technical-based teams for developing and integrating the latest state-of-the-art robotics on combat vehicle platforms – both the Warfighter Machine Interface (WMI) and Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) efforts are under his responsibility. Dr. Kania’s near two decades with GVSC are best known for his founding of the Robotic Technology Kernal (RTK) core team and technologies, as well as his standing-up of WMI Unite and its core partnership. RTK has become a cornerstone for GVR/GVSC, and the members of that core team have gone on to become top Branch Chiefs, Tech Specialists, and the Deputy Chief Scientist. As for WMI Unite, it has exponentially grown under the direction of the joint government-industry management team he established. The WMI Unite model has heavily influenced GVR’s other RTK Productline, as well as GVSC’s Foundry evolution (Agile Unite kicked-off in July of 2023). Both of these pivotal product lines can trace their origins to Dr. Kania’s leadership. Prior to this return to GVSC, he was a part of Research Development & Engineering Command (RDECOM) from November of 2015 to July of 2019. He served as the Director of Robotics & Autonomy for the International Technology Center – Pacific, where he is stationed in Canberra, Australia. He had two roles in this assignment. First, as a Scientist, he was charged with finding the state of the art in the Pacific Rim and bringing it back to the stateside labs. Second, he worked as a government liaison to the region working with his military counterpart to facilitate S&T enterprise projects, war fighter activities, senior leadership forums, etc. Prior to joining RDECOM, Dr. Kania was an electrical engineer for the various incarnations of Ground Vehicle Robotics group of the TARDEC since he hired on in July of 2001. He worked there initially as an engineer where he was eventually promoted by the Research Review Board. Following this, he spent a special assignment at ARL’s Vehicle Technologies Directorate before returning to TARDEC to join GVR’s leadership team. There he led several teams and projects down the years culminating in a Civilian Service Award for his foundational achievements in establishing GVR’s inhouse capabilities and the Robotic Technology Kernel - the centerpiece of all GVR development. Before TARDEC he worked in the Auto Industry for 10 years for various OEMs in both direct-hire and consulting positions. He graduated in 1997 from Ohio Northern University with degrees in Mechanical Engineer, Mathematics, and Electrical Engineering. In the Winter of 2001, he received a Masters Degree in Systems Engineering from Oakland University. And in 2009 he earned his Ph.D. there as well.
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Shawn Coleman, PhD
US Army Research Laboratory

Shawn Coleman, PhD

July 16, 2024 16:45

Poster Talks Aero/Astro

Studio 1
Renee Spear, AFOSR, University of Colorado Boulder
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Renee Spear
University of Colorado Boulder

Renee Spear

Renee Spear is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Colorado Boulder studying Aerospace Engineering Sciences - Astrodynamics and Satellite Navigation under the guidance of Professor Natasha Bosanac. Her research interests include spacecraft trajectory design and optimization in multi-body systems.
July 16, 2024 17:00

Poster Talks Aero/Astro

Studio 1
Amanda Toledo Barrios, ARO, California Institute of Technology
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Amanda Toledo Barrios
California Institute of Technology

Amanda Toledo Barrios

Amanda is a fourth-year Ph.D. Candidate in Professor Ravichandran's Mechanics of Materials Group at Caltech. She completed her BS-MS in Aerospace Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2020. Amanda's current research investigates the behavior of granular materials under cyclic loading, which is very important in geotechnical and vehicle mobility applications.
July 16, 2024 17:15

Fellows To Stand Next to Posters

Poster Hall Foyer
Fellows who presented that day only to stand next to posters
July 16, 2024 17:15

Evaluator Sessions

Evaluators to meet in In the same room as the discipline presentations
July 17, 2024 07:30

Attendee and Career Fair/Exhibitor Registration

Registration Desk
Stop at the Registration desk for Check-in, Badge and Questions
July 17, 2024 08:00

DoD Trivia/Agenda at a glance

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor

Learn about the various inventions and discoveries created within DoD

July 17, 2024 08:25

Poster/Exhibit Hall Open - Fellows to Stand next to Posters

Poster Hall Foyer

DoD and Fellows Networking Sessions

July 17, 2024 09:30

DoD Presentation

Galerie Ballrooms, (1,2,3), 2nd Floor

D0D Research Funding Opportunities
DEPSCoR, DURIP, MURI, SFFP, YIP)

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Edward Lee
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

Edward Lee

Mr. Edward J. Lee is the Program Manager for Historically Black Colleges and Universities / Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MI’s) for the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) in Arlington, VA, one of the 11 directorates that comprise the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). He is responsible for coordinating activities that provide funding support to minority-serving institutions across the nation. Mr. Lee has worked for the AFOSR since 1997, initially overseeing the University Research Initiative program. Ed is also a graduate from an HBCU, Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland and in 2013 authored his first book, The Soul of Man.
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Kimberly Jacoby Morris, PhD
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

Kimberly Jacoby Morris, PhD

Dr. Kimberly J. Jacoby Morris is the STEM Program Coordinator for the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, in Arlington, VA. Dr. Jacoby is responsible for managing activities that improve scientific literacy among students, educators and the public to foster a highly skilled workforce. Her leadership ensures that education funding opportunities and community-based program initiatives promote the engagement of diverse audiences in understanding and contributing to technological advancements. Programs that contribute directly to this effort are the STEM Education and Outreach Program, the ASSURE Program, the Summer Faculty Fellowship Program and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars Program. Dr. Jacoby enjoys developing creative solutions to address challenges in workforce development. Prior to this position Dr. Jacoby was an Education Specialist in the Education and Community Involvement Branch at the National Human Genome Research Institute which is a part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. As an Education Specialist she was responsible for managing STEM education and outreach programs, developing educational resources and coordinating digital assets. Her passion for education was inspired by her extensive teaching experience during graduate school and her post-graduate guest lecturer opportunities at Bryn Mawr College.Before transitioning full-time to the field of education outreach, Dr. Jacoby completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the late Dr. George Harold Patterson at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering which is a part of the National Institutes of Health. While working with Dr. Patterson, Dr. Jacoby developed novel near-IR fluorescent probes and extended the photoswitchable FRET technique to democratize costly scientific experiments.
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Ellen Robinson
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

Ellen Robinson

Ellen M. Robinson is a Senior General Engineer in the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Science and Engineering Division, Science and Engineering Collaboration Branch, Arlington, VA. Mrs. Robinson has served over eight years as a Program Manager for AFOSR STEM workforce development initiatives within the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) (AFRL) enterprise. She manages the AFRL Science and Technology Fellowship Program (STFP), the AFOSR Young Investigators Research Program (YIP), and the AFOSR Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE). Mrs. Robinson also serves as the AFRL Program Manager and the Department of Defense (DoD) Program Manager for the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) Program. She currently serves as the Contracting Officer Representative for two STEM fellowship program contracts. These programs are crucial in developing and bolstering the DoD STEM future pipeline for scientists and engineers (S&Es) in DoD relevant research areas and shaping future DoD research needs. These programs also support post-docs and senior researchers whose research aligns and supports the DoD and Department of the Air Force (DAF), including the United States Space Force, missions. In these roles, she develops STEM workflow development policies in innovative, high risk high reward research, plans and executes budgets totaling over $200M annually for early career scientists and engineers and STEM graduate scholars.Since joining the Air Force as a civilian in November 1989, Mrs. Robinson has served in several roles in the Aeronautical Systems Center and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) including avionics design and laser optical communications design engineer, business and financial management, strategic development planning and programming. Prior to her current assignment, Mrs. Robinson was Deputy Program Manager in the STEM development office where she developed an AF wide K-12 AF STEM Outreach education program establishing policies and programs to interest K-12 students in STEM academic studies and careers of AF mission needs. She was instrumental in establishing the AF blueprint in the DoD STEM portfolio. She also co-authored with her DoD sister services STEM workforce development initiatives for near, mid, and far term.She has used her depth of experience in strategic planning, budgeting, and execution in forecasting specific STEM needs vital for the future workforce as it relates to DoD and DAF missions.
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Katie Wisecarver
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

Katie Wisecarver

Katie A. H. Wisecarver is a Senior Psychologist in the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Science and Engineering Collaboration Branch, Arlington, VA. She has over 13 years of civilian service as a Program Manager in the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) enterprise, working directly with multi-agency, multiservice teams to execute basic research and technology transition efforts on behalf of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of the Air Force (DAF). Ms. Wisecarver serves as the AFOSR Program Manager and the Department of Defense (DoD) Program Manager for the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP), building capacity across the DAF (including US Space Force) in areas of importance to DoD strategic basic science and technology goals. She also manages the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) for AFOSR, bringing multidisciplinary research teams together to tackle the critical basic research needs facing the DAF and DoD through very-high risk, high-reward research projects. In these roles, she helps shape the future force and meet the technology needs of tomorrow’s Air Force and Space Force by growing the DoD research base, providing big-win research capacity, and stimulating the growth of emerging technologies via accelerated transition of findings to practical applications. She is also a certified Master Resiliency Trainer for the AF Comprehensive Airmen Fitness program and a nationally certified victim advocate with the AF Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Program. Prior to her current position, Ms. Wisecarver served in several roles at AFOSR including: Program Manager for the Defense Enterprise Science Initiative (DESI) pilot program, bringing together industry and university teams for rapid innovation; Program Manager for the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) Small Grants Program, supporting research for AFIT faculty and students; and Program Manager for the Awards to Stimulate and Support Undergraduate Research Experiences (ASSURE) program, a collaborative effort between DoD and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Ms. Wisecarver also served as an Assistant Program Manager for life sciences portfolios and as a contracting officer’s representative. She is also experienced in STEM outreach, business management, and strategic planning. Prior to entering public service, Ms. Wisecarver served as a Resource Analyst in the toxicology division at a clinical research organization in Virginia. Preceding that position, she worked in both in-patient and out-patient psychology in South Carolina.
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Reginald Williams, PhD
Office of Naval Research (ONR)

Reginald Williams, PhD

Reggie Williams is the program manager for the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program (YIP), Research Opportunities for Program Officers (ROPO), In-house Laboratory Independent Research (ILIR), Independent Applied Research (IAR), Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP) for undergraduate and graduate students, and the Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) for high school students. He also manages the OUSD Basic Research Office Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship (VBFF) funding opportunity announcement and grant awards. Previously he managed programs in the Propulsion and Power Engineering competency at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Patuxent River, MD. His assignments included managing the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) programs, high-speed engine technology demonstrators, and turbine engine analysis. In private industry, Dr. Williams managed technology programs and conducted experimental and computational research in advanced propulsion integration for industrial, commercial, and military applications. Dr. Williams received his PhD, MS, and BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland at College Park.
July 17, 2024 09:30

Poster Talks Aero/Electical Engineering

Studio 1
Mitchell Wall, ONR, University of Colorado Boulder
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Mitchell Wall
University of Colorado Boulder

Mitchell Wall

Mitchell Wall is a 4th year PhD student in the department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences under Professor Iain Boyd. He completed his B.S. in Engineering Mechanics at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. His research currently deals with computational modeling for rarefied hypersonic flows.
July 17, 2024 09:30

Poster Talks Biosciences

Studio 10
Meenakshi Chakraborty, AFOSR, Stanford University
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Meenakshi Chakraborty
Stanford University

Meenakshi Chakraborty

I am a PhD student studying the gut microbiome in Dr. Ami Bhatt's lab at Stanford University. I completed prior studies at MIT (B.S., Computer Science and Molecular Biology) and the University of Cambridge (MPhil, Genetics, through the Churchill Scholarship program). My career goal is to make discoveries relevant to human health, by combining computational and experimental tools.
July 17, 2024 09:30

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Andrew Rouditchenko, ARO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Andrew Rouditchenko
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Andrew Rouditchenko

I am a PhD student at MIT CSAIL in the Spoken Language Systems Group, advised by Dr. Jim Glass. My research focuses on speech and sound from a multi-modal perspective. I graduated from MIT in 2021 with my M.Eng. in EECS, advised by Dr. Jim Glass and Professor David Harwath. I graduated from MIT in 2019 with my S.B. in EECS, and I worked with Professor Antonio Torralba and Professor Josh McDermott.
July 17, 2024 09:30

Poster Talks Material Science

Studio 8
Dana Byrne, ARO, University of California Berkeley
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Dana Byrne
University of California Berkeley

Dana Byrne

Dana is a 5th year PhD candidate at UC Berkeley (UCB) specializing in advanced electron microscopy and defect engineering of hexagonal boron nitride. She works with Dr. Frances Allen at the National Center for Electron Microscopy (NCEM) located at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) and at the Biomolecular Nanotechnology Center at UCB.
July 17, 2024 09:45

Poster Talks Aero/Electical Engineering

Studio 1
Anonto Zaman, AFOSR, Stanford University
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Anonto Zaman
Stanford University

Anonto Zaman

M.S. Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University (2024) B.S. Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology (2022)
July 17, 2024 09:45

Poster Talks Biosciences

Studio 10
Lauren Clubb, ONR, University of California San Diego
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Lauren Clubb
University of California San Diego

Lauren Clubb

I am a 4th year graduate student at the University of California San Diego co-mentored by Drs. J Silvio Gutkind and Jill P Mesirov. My research is centered around utilizing a combination of computational and experimental techniques to build an atlas of G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) expression on tumor infiltrating immune cells to uncover opportunities to repurpose FDA approved drugs to augment an anti-tumor immune response.
July 17, 2024 09:45

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Brandon Rozek, ONR, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
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Brandon Rozek
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Brandon Rozek

Brandon Rozek is a computer science PhD student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His broad research interests lie in artificial intelligence and computational logic. In particular, his PhD studies focuses on applying automated planning and reasoning to sequential decision making problems under uncertainty. He's an avid Linux enthusiast with over 350 technical blog posts over at https://brandonrozek.com/blog/
July 17, 2024 09:45

Poster Talks Material Science

Studio 8
Abigail Carbone, ARO, Stanford University
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Abigail Carbone
Stanford University

Abigail Carbone

Abigail is a 4th year PhD candidate in Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University. Originally hailing from Stafford VA, she received a B.S. from North Carolina State Univeristy in Raleigh NC studying Materials Science and Engineering with a minor in Nanotechnology (go Pack!). Her PhD research is focused on characterization of organic-inorganic perovskite photovoltaics, with a special interest in electron microscopy.
July 17, 2024 10:00

Poster Talks Aero/Electical Engineering

Studio 1
Lauren Conger, AFOSR, California Institute of Technology
July 17, 2024 10:00

Poster Talks Biosciences

Studio 10
Yasha Ektefaie, ARO, Harvard Medical School
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Yasha Ektefaie

Yasha Ektefaie

July 17, 2024 10:00

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Shreya Shankar, ARO, University of California Berkeley
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Shreya Shankar
UC Berkeley

Shreya Shankar

PhD Student in Computer Science at UC Berkeley
July 17, 2024 10:00

Poster Talks Material Science

Studio 8
Eliana Feygin, ARO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Eliana Feygin
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Eliana Feygin

I am using computational materials science tools to investigate microstructure-property relationships of structural materials. My interests lie in understanding the theory of materials through combining computational and experimental work. I believe the best part about science is collaborating with other scientists. If you want to chat about research feel free to reach out!
July 17, 2024 10:15

Poster Talks Aero/Electical Engineering

Studio 1
Jared Cronin, ONR, University of South Carolina
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Jared Cronin
University of South Carolina

Jared Cronin

I am a third year Ph.D. student in Electrical Engineering at the University of South Carolina focusing on digital twins of naval power systems, power electronics, and applications of artificial intelligence to power electronics and power systems. My long term interests include microgrids, power electronic based renewable-energy systems, and intelligent power electronics/systems. My current research is funded by the DoD National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship. In addition to my research, I race sailboats competitively and play the piano. I am actively seeking an internship for Summer 2024 in power electronics, AI, defense applications, or renewable energy technologies.
July 17, 2024 10:15

Poster Talks Biosciences

Studio 10
Kyra Fitz, ARO, Rutgers University
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Kyra Fitz
Rutgers University

Kyra Fitz

I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in Ecology and Evolution at Rutgers University. I use genomic methods to investigate adaptation, acclimation, and resiliency in marine species under climate change. My research focuses on finding solutions to support fisheries withstand the impacts of climate change.
July 17, 2024 10:15

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Liam Smith, AFOSR, Georgia Institute of Technology
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Liam Smith
Georgia Institute of Technology

Liam Smith

Liam is a Machine Learning (ML) PhD Candidate at Georgia Tech who is working on modeling the electron density of the ionosphere with various ML techniques. He is interested in pursuing a career in research, especially related to AI systems (e.g., generative AI), space, or human-AI integration (e.g., neurally controlled prosthetics).
July 17, 2024 10:15

Poster Talks Material Science

Studio 8
Mason Freund, AFOSR, University of Connecticut
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Mason Freund
University of Connecticut

Mason Freund

Mason Freund received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical engineering with a concentration in aerospace engineering from the University of Connecticut in 2020. His undergraduate capstone project included FEA simulations of ball stud bearings with a focus on replicating and predicting fracture strengths. His current interests include observation of energetic material dynamics utilizing UTEM. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the Materials Science and Engineering department at the University of Connecticut under Dr. Volkan Ortalan.
July 17, 2024 10:30

DoD Presentation

Galerie Ballroom (1,2,3), 2nd Floor

Patents & Publications
(Remote)

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John Karasek
Office of Naval Research

John Karasek

Mr. Karasek is the Supervisory Intellectual Property Counsel for the Office of Naval Research, where he supervises a staff of four intellectual property attorneys and three paralegals. He is responsible for the entire range of intellectual property issues that arise at ONR, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, IP clauses in the FAR and DFARS, and technology transfer matters. Prior to his arrival at ONR, he was an intellectual property attorney for the Naval Research Laboratory from 1991 to 2009. His last position at NRL was Associate Counsel, Intellectual Property, supervising a staff of ten intellectual property attorneys and five support staff. In that capacity, he supervised the preparation and prosecution of patent and trademark applications in the US and other jurisdictions around the world. He was the principal legal advisor to the NRL Commanding Officer and Director of Research on all intellectual property matters, and managed the NRL intellectual property portfolio. Mr. Karasek is a frequent invited speaker on intellectual property matters. He has testified as an expert witness on the standard of care in patent prosecution. He is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute’s “Leadership for a Democratic Society” program. He is a recipient of the Department of the Navy’s Meritorious Civilian Service Award. Since 2014, Mr. Karasek has served as a board member of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International, the largest professional fraternity for lawyers and law students. Mr. Karasek attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry in 1986. Mr. Karasek graduated from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1991, cum laude. He is a member of the bar of Pennsylvania and is licensed to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
July 17, 2024 10:30

Poster Talks Aero/Electical Engineering

Studio 1
Zephan Enciso, ONR, University of Notre Dame du Lac
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Zephan Enciso
University of Notre Dame du Lac

Zephan Enciso

After completing his undergraduate degrees in Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, Zephan Enciso returned as a PhD student in 2021 to continue his research. His research focuses on designing novel, low-power integrated circuits using emerging devices and mixed-signal computation to facilitate efficient, real-time RF scene awareness, machine learning-driven RF processing, and explainable machine learning. Zephan is also a member of ND's AFROTC Detachment 225 and enjoys practicing Olympic archery and aerial photography in his free time.
July 17, 2024 10:30

Poster Talks Biosciences

Studio 10
Lantana Grub, ARO, Vanderbilt University
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Lantana Grub
Vanderbilt University

Lantana Grub

Lantana is currently a 5th year PhD Candidate in the Biological Sciences Department at Vanderbilt University. She received her Bachelor’s degree at Tuskegee University and then went on to complete her Master’s at UIUC where she investigated the genetic regulation of reproduction. In her PhD thesis work she uses her experience at the intersection of cellular biology, genetics, and bioinformatics to investigate mitochondrial DNA epigenetics using C. elegans as a model.
July 17, 2024 10:30

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Sanjay Subramanian, ARO, University of California Berkeley
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Sanjay Subramanian
UC Berkeley

Sanjay Subramanian

I am a PhD student in computer science at UC Berkeley, advised by Trevor Darrell and Dan Klein. In my research, I build and analyze automated systems for visual reasoning. Previously, I was an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania and a predoctoral young investigator at the Allen Institute for AI.
July 17, 2024 10:30

Poster Talks Material Science

Studio 8
Morgan Jones, ARO, University of California Santa Barbara
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Morgan Jones
University of California Santa Barbara

Morgan Jones

Morgan Jones received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Florida. She spent three years as a senior technologist in the Materials, Mechanics, and Tribology Group at Sandia National Laboratories. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Materials at University of California, Santa Barbara, where she investigates the deformation behavior of refractory alloys with mesoscale modeling.
July 17, 2024 10:45

Poster Talks Aero/Electical Engineering

Studio 1
Jack Erhardt, AFOSR, University of Michigan
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Jack Erhardt
University of Michigan

Jack Erhardt

Jack Erhardt received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA in 2020. He received the M.S.E degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA in 2022, and is pursuing the Ph.D. degree from the same institution. His current research interests include edge compute systems and hardware-software codesign for low power applications.
July 17, 2024 10:45

Poster Talks Biosciences

Studio 10
Tanner Henson, ARO, University of California Davis
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Tanner Henson
University of California

Tanner Henson

Tanner Henson is a 4th year Biomedical Engineering Ph.D. candidate at the University of California Davis, co-mentored by the Cheemeng Tan and Aijun Wang labs. With the Cheemeng Tan lab focused on holistic synthetic biology, and the Aijun Wang lab focused on application of extracellular vesicles for tissue repair and treatment, Tanner combines these two labs expertise for his research. Currently, Tanner focuses on generating a bottom-up, synthetic extracellular vesicle platform using cell-free protein synthesis systems. This platform is designed to inform and shape future extracellular vesicle engineering projects and aid in their translation to the clinic.
July 17, 2024 10:45

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Saranya Vijayakumar, ARO, Carnegie Mellon University
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Saranya Vijayakumar
Carnegie Mellon University

Saranya Vijayakumar

Saranya is a third year computer science PhD candidate at Carnegie Mellon working at the intersection of security, graph mining, and machine learning. She is fortunate to be advised by Christos Faloutsos and Matt Fredrikson. Previously, she was an associate at Goldman Sachs, where she worked for three years. She did her undergraduate at Harvard, where she did her thesis research under Cynthia Dwork and Jim Waldo and did a joint concentration in computer science and government.
July 17, 2024 10:45

Poster Talks Material Science

Studio 8
Luke Langford, ARO, University of California Berkeley
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Luke Langford
University of California, Berkeley

Luke Langford

I am a third year PhD student at UC Berkeley's materials science program. I am broadly interested in computational and theoretical chemistry. My current project (funded thanks to NDSEG) investigates the fundamental physics of capillarity and nucleation in self-assembling colloids driven far from equilibrium. In particular, I explicitly coarse-grain models of active matter into continuum hydrodynamic theories in order to demonstrate that equilibrium-like concepts such as surface area minimization and nucleation barriers can be recovered from purely mechanical arguments, and are thus independent of equilibrium assumptions. I then verify these theories by comparison to molecular dynamics simulations. In the past I have worked on computational electrochemistry, in particular modeling interfaces of molten salts with metals in order to better understand corrosion in nuclear reactors.
July 17, 2024 11:00

BREAK

July 17, 2024 11:15

DoD Presentation

Galerie Ballroom (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
Scientific Ethics and Social Responsibility
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Laura Steckman, PhD
Air Force Office of Scientific Research

Laura Steckman, PhD

Dr. Laura Steckman joined the Air Forced Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) as a Program Officer in November 2019. She manages the Trust & Influence program, which funds basic research advancing the science of trust in human-machine teaming, human-agent interaction, and autonomy, and the science of social influence, including how the construct transcends online and offline networks to affect behavior. She is also the program coordinator for AFOSR’s involvement in the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Minerva Defense Research Institute program, the Department of Defense’s premiere basic social research program that funds multidisciplinary research on complex topics intended to inform national policy and strategy.

Dr. Steckman has dedicated her professional career to supporting the advancement of Information and Influence Operations for the DoD and other US government agencies. Prior to joining AFOSR, Dr. Steckman spent 3 years with the MITRE Corporation primarily developing novel operational strategies and technologies to support the current and future fight in the Information Environment and Joint All-Domain Operations. She has led and contributed to multiple efforts within and across the DoD, IC, and Interagency focused on Operations in theInformation Environment (OIE), one of which included multiple extended Temporary Duty (TDY) assignments to support the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR). Dr. Steckman’s prior positions included spending 3 years as the Command Social Scientist at the US Marine Corps Information Operations Center (MCIOC), where she advanced Information Operations (IO) and Military Information Support Operations (MISO) through original and collaborative research, capability and technology evaluations, PME instruction, redesigning MOS-specific training, and contributions to doctrine and operational strategy development, such as the assessment appendix to Joint Publication 3-13 Information Operations, US Special Operations Command’s (USSOCOM’s) Joint Concept for Human Aspects in Military Operations, and the Joint Information Operation Warfare Center’s (JIOWC) Joint Concept for Operations in the Information Environment (JCOIE). In addition, she worked with the US Pacific Command’s (USPACOM’s) J2 Joint Intelligence Operations Center (JIOC) supporting the J3 to enhance Asia Pacific-specific operations and intelligence through novel research and advanced research methodologies. She also stood up and led an IO/MISO effort supporting the US Central Command (USCENTCOM) J3.

Dr. Steckman received her PhD in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where her research focused on the sociopolitical determinants influencing the evolution of Borneo’s indigenous identities over multiple centuries. Her most recent degree is a Masters in Media Psychology from Fielding Graduate University. She has traveled extensively in more than 60 countries and has studied more than two dozen languages.
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Gregory Ruark, PhD
Army Research Office, DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory ARL

Gregory Ruark, PhD

Dr. Gregory Ruark is the Program Manager for Social Sciences within the Humans in Complex Systems competency at DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory - Army Research Office (ARO). In this role, he supports basic research to enhance fundamental understanding for the interdependent, reciprocal, and complex relationships across social systems accounting for environmental (natural, human-built, and virtual) factors needed to enhance future warfighters’ performance across operational contexts. Dr. Ruark also serves as the Army’s Program Manager for the Minerva Research Initiative at the Office of Undersecretary of Defense, Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) where he supports basic social science research focused on increasing U.S. knowledge of and awareness for global social, cultural, and political forces of national security interest. Prior to joining ARO, he served nearly 16 years of Civilian Service with the Army Research Institute (ARI), initially as an applied researcher that earned him the 2011 Army R&D Achievement Award for Technical Excellence and the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service, and subsequently as Team Leader, and then Chief of ARI’s basic research program supporting fundamental research within the organizational sciences domain. Dr. Ruark earned his Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of Oklahoma in 2006. He is published in peer-reviewed organizational and management journals in the areas of emotions, leader processes and development, and culture.
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Benjamin Whitmore, PhD
Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) - Pacific

Benjamin Whitmore, PhD

Ben works as a scientist/oceanographer with the Environmental Sciences Branch of NIWC Pacific and has been at NIWC for 4.5 years now. Ben came to NIWC, as a result of the SMART Scholarship program. He received his PhD in Oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 2019. He enjoys hiking, playing with his dog, and attending trivia nights.
July 17, 2024 11:15

Poster Talks Aero/Electical Engineering

Studio 1
Alexander Geers, AFOSR, University of Pennsylvania
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Alexander Geers
University of Pennsylvania

Alexander Geers

University of Pennsylvania PhD Student
July 17, 2024 11:15

Poster Talks Biosciences

Studio 10
Rian, Kormos, AFOSR, University of California, San Francisco
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Rian Kormos

Rian Kormos

July 17, 2024 11:15

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Haoda Wang, AFOSR, Columbia University
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Haoda Wang
Columbia University

Haoda Wang

Haoda Wang is a Ph.D. student at Columbia University researching methods for software-only radiation hardening on COTS computers. Previously, he has worked on flight software simulations on Mars 2020, and developed a fuzzer that has caught multiple flight software bugs. He is also a 2022 DoD NDSEG fellow and a 2021 Goldwater Scholar. He holds a MS in Computer Science from Columbia University and a BS in Computer Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Southern California
July 17, 2024 11:15

Poster Talks Material Science

Studio 8
Jordan Meyer, ONR, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Jordan Meyer
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Jordan Meyer

B.S. Materials Science and Engineering - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, May 2022 PhD Candidate, Materials Science and Engineering - Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Expected Graduation: May 2027
July 17, 2024 11:30

Poster Talks Aero/Electical Engineering

Studio 1

Alexander Ware, AFOSR, University of Texas at Austin

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Alexander Ware
UT Austin Mid-IR Photonics

Alexander Ware

Alexander is a graduate student in the Electrical Engineering department of the University of Texas at Austin. He works with the UT Mid-IR Photonics Group on the development of materials and devices for use in the mid-infrared.
July 17, 2024 11:30

Poster Talks Biosciences

Studio 10
Pranav, Lalgudi, ARO, Stanford University
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Pranav Lalgudi
Stanford University

Pranav Lalgudi

2nd year PhD student at Stanford University Department of Genetics Fischbach Lab
July 17, 2024 11:30

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Anders Wikum, ONR, Stanford University
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Anders Wikum
Stanford University

Anders Wikum

I am a second-year PhD student in Management Science & Engineering at Stanford University, fortunate to be advised by Ellen Vitercik. Prior to joining Stanford, I received a B.S. in Operations Research (ORIE) from Cornell University. My research interests lie at the intersection of machine learning and algorithm design, particularly relating to discrete optimization.
July 17, 2024 11:30

Poster Talks Material Science

Studio 8
Madelyn Payne, ARO, University of California Berkeley
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Madelyn Payne
University of California, Berkeley

Madelyn Payne

Madelyn Payne is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) at the University of California, Berkeley. Originally from Southern California, she earned a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering at MIT in 2019, where she conducted research on shape-memory materials. She also worked as a process automation engineer at Allegheny Technologies (ATI), optimizing specialty melt-shop procedures and incorporating automation improvements. After seeing how research leaders can guide development of new alloys specialized for extreme temperatures and loading, she decided to pursue her doctoral degree on structural alloys at UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on using electron microscopy to understand how multi-principal element alloys deform at various temperature regimes. She conducts nanomechanical tests inside advanced electron microscopes to observe and characterize the deformation of the alloys. Overall, her research helps engineers understand how various mechanisms work together to produce mechanical properties such as fracture toughness, sustained ductility, and tensile strength. Understanding these properties helps engineers to predict alloy behavior under different stresses and conditions, ensuring safety and efficiency in applications such as jet turbines.
July 17, 2024 11:45

Poster Talks Aero/Electical Engineering

Studio 1
Daniel Klawson, ARO, University of California Berkeley
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Daniel Klawson
University of California, Berkeley

Daniel Klawson

Daniel Klawson is a 4th year PhD candidate at the University of California, Berkeley. Originally from Maryland, he graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor's Degree in electrical engineering. He is researching integrated photonics for scalable trapped ion quantum computing - when his PhD is finished, he hopes to have designed, fabricated, tested, and deployed a working quantum computer. His interests lie in photonic integrated circuits, optical MEMS, and semiconductor lasers. When he is not in the lab or the cleanroom, he is an avid hiker, backpacker, and soccer player & fan.
July 17, 2024 11:45

Poster Talks Biosciences

Studio 10
Carolyn Marar, AFOSR, Boston University
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Carolyn Marar
Boston University

Carolyn Marar

I am a fourth year PhD student in Biomedical Engineering studying microwave neuromodulation and bioeffects on the brain.
July 17, 2024 11:45

Poster Talks Material Science

Studio 8
Daniel Ranke, ONR, Carnegie Mellon University
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Daniel Ranke
Carnegie Mellon University

Daniel Ranke

Daniel received his bachelor's degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Georgia Tech in 2021 before pursuing doctoral studies at Carnegie Mellon University. His research focuses on the development of technologies for optically-enabled neural interfaces with an emphasis on vapor-grown nanomaterials. Daniel has extended these interests over industry, national labs, academia, and start-ups throughout his career and aims to continue doing so moving forward.
July 17, 2024 12:00

Poster Talks Aero/Electical Engineering

Studio 1
Alon Levin, ONR, Columbia University
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Alon Levin
Columbia University

Alon Levin

Alon S. Levin received a B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering (magna cum laude) in 2020 and a M.Eng. in Electrical Engineering in 2021, both from The Cooper Union. He is an NDSEG Fellow and Columbia University Byron Fellow, and his research interests are in full-duplex wireless, compressed sensing, PHY layer algorithms, and cognitive radio.
July 17, 2024 12:00

Poster Talks Biosciences

Studio 10
Jacob, Roberts, AFOSR, University of California Berkeley
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Jacob Roberts
University of California, Berkeley

Jacob Roberts

Graduate Student Researcher studying Bioengineering in the Keasling Lab at UC Berkeley. I research the application of modern AI-based protein structure tools to classic problems in synthetic biology, and the use of hydrogen gas to improve biomanufacturing costs.
July 17, 2024 12:00

Poster Talks Material Science

Studio 8
Emily Ryan, AFOSR, Georgia Institute of Technology
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Emily Ryan
Georgia Institute of Technology

Emily Ryan

Ph.D. candidate at Georgia Institute of Technology, President of GT's Student Polymer Network
July 17, 2024 12:00

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Lauren Conger, AFOSR, California Institute of Technology
July 17, 2024 12:15

DoD Presentation

Galerie Ballroom (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) Overview
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Muhammad Rahman, PhD
Air Force Institute of Technology

Muhammad Rahman, PhD

Dr. Muhammad Mustafizur Rahman joined Air Force Institute of Technology in January 2024 as the Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering and Management after serving at Wichita State University (2014-2023) in Wichita, Kansas; University of South Florida (1993-2014) in Tampa, Florida; Mainstream Engineering Corporation (1991-1993) in Rockledge, Florida; and Wright State University (1988-1991) in Dayton, Ohio. His previous leadership roles include the Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Dean’s Fellow for New Strategic Initiatives in the College of Engineering at Wichita State University. Dr. Rahman served as the Chair of the Advanced Energy Systems Division of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He also served as an Associate Technical Editor of the Journal of Solar Energy Engineering and the Journal of Energy Resources Technology. He was also a member of the Editorial Board in the International Journal of Energy Research. He holds two U.S. patents, has published 115 journal papers, three book chapters, 155 papers in peer-reviewed conference proceedings and won two Best Paper Awards. He got invited as a keynote speaker at 15 international conferences. His research has been funded by NASA, US Department of Energy, US Department of Defense, and industries in USA and Europe. He is an ASME Fellow since 2007. He is also a member in the National Academy of Inventors. He is a Mechanical Engineering program evaluator in the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) and a Peer Corps Member in the Higher Learning Commission for regional accreditation of educational institutions.
July 17, 2024 12:15

Poster Talks Aero/Electical Engineering

Studio 1
Duncan Madden, ARO, The University of Michigan
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Duncan Madden
University of Michigan

Duncan Madden

Duncan Madden received the B.S. degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2020 and the M.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan in 2022 where he is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering. His research interests include the design of novel antennas for 5G communications and the in-situ calibration of active antenna arrays in transient environments.
July 17, 2024 12:15

Poster Talks Biosciences

Studio 10
Lynn, Sidor, ONR, University of Rochester
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Lynn Sidor
University of Rochester

Lynn Sidor

I am a fifth year PhD student in Dr. Anne S. Meyer's laboratory at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. My thesis project focuses on engineering bacterial cells to behave as optical devices utilizing the sea sponge enzyme silicatein. This enzyme can naturally polymerize silica monomers into polysilicate, as it is used by sea sponges to build their internal skeletons. In my bacterial cells, silicatein is directed to the cell surface, via fusion with an outer membrane protein, where it can polymerize a layer of polysilicate surrounding the cells. This creates polysilicate-encapsulated cells that can scatter and focus light, like microlenses, by the creation of photonic nanojets. I am hoping to defend my thesis by the end of this year and I am looking for employment opportunities near Durham, North Carolina after I graduate.
July 17, 2024 12:15

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Jared Cronin, ONR, University of South Carolina
July 17, 2024 12:15

Poster Talks Material Science

Studio 8
Cindy Shi, ONR, Stanford University
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Cindy Shi
Stanford University

Cindy Shi

Cindy Shi is a PhD student in Jennifer Dionne's lab at Stanford University. She studies optical nanoparticles for dynamic force sensing and bioimaging.
July 17, 2024 12:30

Poster Talks Aero/Electical Engineering

Studio 1
Emma Martin, AFOSR, University of California Berkeley
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Emma Martin
University of California, Berkeley

Emma Martin

Electrical engineering Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley working on semiconductor laser design and fabrication
July 17, 2024 12:30

Poster Talks Biosciences

Studio 10
Aaron, Tasset, ARO, University of Texas at Austin
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Aaron Tasset
University of Texas at Austin

Aaron Tasset

Fourth year PhD student working in the Wang Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. Research is focused on developing non-viral vectors to be used to deliver genes encoding for opsins to facilitate neural stimulation for treatment of various neurological disorders and diseases.
July 17, 2024 12:30

Poster Talks Computer Science

Studio 3
Zephan Enciso, ONR, University of Notre Dame du Lac
July 17, 2024 12:30

Poster Talks Material Science

Studio 8
Avni Singhal, ONR, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Avni Singhal
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Avni Singhal

Avni Singhal is a fourth-year graduate student at MIT in the Materials Science and Engineering department and Program in Polymers and Soft Matter. Her research focuses on employing high-throughput computational approaches to screen materials for energy and sustainability applications.
July 17, 2024 12:45

Poster Talks Aero/Electical Engineering

Studio 1
Maxwell McManus, AFOSR, State University of New York at Buffalo
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Maxwell McManus
State University of New York at Buffalo

Maxwell McManus

Maxwell McManus is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Electrical Engineering (EE) at the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB). They graduated Summa Cum Laude from the UB Honors College in 2019 with the B.S. in EE, received the M.S. in EE from UB in 2021, and expect to finish their Ph.D. in EE at UB in June, 2025. Their current research interests are in wireless network security, wireless network digital twin, and spectrum sharing technologies.
July 17, 2024 12:45

Poster Talks Biosciences

Studio 10
Alexa, Zytnick, ARO, University of California Berkeley
July 17, 2024 12:45

Poster Talks Material Science

Studio 8
Carl Thrasher, AFOSR, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Carl Thrasher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Carl Thrasher

Carl J. Thrasher is a scientist leading research at the interface between chemistry, materials, and mechanics. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from the United States Air Force Academy in 2015, his M.Sc. in Chemistry from University of Washington, Seattle in 2017 and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellow. Prior to this he worked as a research scientist at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Dayton, OH. His research interests include 3D printing, stretchable electronics, polymer synthesis, self-assembly, and functional hierarchically structured materials.
July 17, 2024 13:00

LUNCH

Galerie Ballroom (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
July 17, 2024 13:45

Lunch Panel Discussion

Galerie Ballroom (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
Day in the life of a DoD Scientist and Engineer
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Scott Pierce, PhD
Maui High Performance Computing Center

Scott Pierce, PhD

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Daniel Zelik, PhD
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) 711HPW

Daniel Zelik, PhD

Dr. Daniel J. Zelik is the Deputy Chief Scientist of the 711th Human Performance Wing (711HPW) of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) (Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)), Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), Ohio. Dr. Zelik is the primary science and technology advisor to the 711HPW Chief Scientist as well as to technical leadership in the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Human Effectiveness Directorate (RH) and U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM). In this position he provides technical vision and strategy for the Wing’s science and technology plans. The Wing is comprised of over 2000 personnel in more than 70 occupational series, spread across eight operating locations, with an annual budget in excess of $300M. Prior to his current duties, Dr. Zelik served as Technical Advisor for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Mission Analytics Branch and Research Lead for the 711th Human Performance Wing Systems Analytics Core Research Area. In this capacity he led the creation of a new Airmen-centered data analytics portfolio unique to the Air Force and provided technical guidance, oversight, and mentorship for more than 100 civilian, military, contractor, and academic scientists and engineers executing annual research over $8M. Dr. Zelik began his career with Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in 2014 as a Senior Cognitive Systems Engineer. In this role he led multiple high-visibility and high-impact research and development efforts, secured over $3.5M in outside funding, authored 12 conference publications and technical reports, and developed technologies that delivered new or enhanced mission capability to intelligence analysts and warfighters across the Department of Defense. Dr. Zelik earned graduate degrees in Industrial and Systems Engineering (focus in Cognitive Systems Engineering) from The Ohio State University and undergraduate degrees in Industrial Engineering and Psychology from Iowa State University of Science and Technology. He has over 15 years of experience in government, industry, and academia applying Cognitive Systems Engineering to design, develop, and assess human-centric technologies for data analysis and decision making. His research interests include how professional intelligence analysts assess analytic rigor, cope with data overload, and overcome challenges to effective sense-making.
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Paul Yu, PhD
DEVCOM Army Research laboratory

Paul Yu, PhD

Dr. Paul Yu is the program manager for the Information Assurance program at DEVCOM ARL Army Research Office (ARO). This research program concentrates on funding cutting edge research in several domains, primarily conducted at U.S. universities, that enables complex systems to survive and recover from sophisticated adversarial disruption while accomplishing their missions. Dr. Yu has been in this position since 2022. Prior to joining ARO, Dr. Yu held several technical leadership roles within the Army Research Directorate (ARD) including those within extramural programs such as the Cyber Security Collaborative Research Alliance (Cyber CRA) and The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP). As the lead of Detection research area for the Cyber CRA, he advanced the science of cyber threat detection and mitigation in constrained environments at the program, host, and network levels. As the Army national lead for the TTCP Communications technical panel, he influenced research activities, informed national capability development, and guided international research activities in software-defined networking for allied military research labs. His work advanced cyber security and signal processing for secure tactical networks and he holds several patents in these areas. Dr. Yu received a Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland at College Park in 2008.
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Jennifer Field, PhD
Naval System Warfare Center

Jennifer Field, PhD

Jennifer Field earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering at the College of New Jersey. During her undergraduate career, she was a research fellow with the National Science Foundation, and also served as President of her collegiate chapter of the Society of Women Engineers. She continued her education at Stevens Institute of Technology, receiving a Master’s of Engineering degree, before continuing onward to earn her PhD in Mechanical Engineering, with a concentration in Robotics and Control. During her graduate career, Jennifer was a research fellow with New Jersey’s Space Grant Consortium, National Science Foundation’s GK12 program, and served as a graduate student advisor for the Stevens Mechanical Engineering Department. She received several awards for her involvement in curriculum development, student research laboratory management and for the instruction of several core Mechanical Engineering undergraduate and graduate courses. Her research focused on developing control system frameworks for multi-actuated dynamical systems, in the land, air, and space disciplines. Upon graduation, Jennifer joined Naval Sea Systems, where she was hired by the Unmanned Undersea Systems branch at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division. During her tenure at Carderock, Jennifer has served as the Design Integration Manager for Autonomy, project manager on a multidisciplinary research study, and technical authority for autonomy-related guidance. Currently, Jennifer serves as the Principal Investigator for projects related to Trusted Autonomy, and subject matter expert on robotics, controls, and autonomy. She also continues to serves as a mentor and science advisor for various programs, while also serving as a judge for RoboNation competitions.
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Gregory Lieberman, PhD
DEVCOM ARL Army Research Office

Gregory Lieberman, PhD

Dr. Gregory Lieberman is a cognitive and translational neuroscientist and Science Integration Officer at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory (ARL), where he works in the Army Research Office (ARO)’s Office of the Chief Scientist to co-lead strategy and stakeholder engagement. As a student and academic postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Lieberman contributed to and led research efforts centered on developing treatments for neurodegenerative disease, understanding the neural mechanisms underlying fear and anxiety, exploring the mechanisms of chronic pain and mild traumatic brain injury pathology and recovery, and advancing novel interventions to enhance cognitive performance. While working for ARL, he has led and contributed to high-priority Army research programs on human variability, performance, cognition, and expertise development; brain-computer interfaces; and effective human teaming with intelligent technologies. Away from the bench, Dr. Lieberman has served as an executive fellow for the ARL Director, on the DEVCOM HQ Science and Technology Integration Future of Work strategy team, and currently as the chair of ARL’s employee advisory committee for workforce enrichment, recruitment, and retention. Dr. Lieberman’s personal passion, technical expertise, and leadership philosophy converge on the importance of empowering people (including through mentoring), streamlining processes, innovating tools, and integrating all three to maximize human potential and organizational effectiveness
July 17, 2024 15:00

DoD Presentation

Galerie Ballroom (1,2,3), 2nd Floor

Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global Overview

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Jessica Jones, PhD
Office of Naval Research Global Tech Solutions

Jessica Jones, PhD

Dr. Jessica N. Jones of Richmond, Virginia is currently Deputy Director at Office of Naval Research Global TechSolutions. Dr. Jones started her career in civil service at Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Indian Head as a Human-Robot Interaction Engineer and joined TechSolutions on detail from NSWC Dahlgren Division where she was most recently a Lead Human-System Research Scientist. Dr. Jones holds three post-secondary degrees. She is a graduate of Hampton University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and a minor in Leadership Studies. Next, Dr. Jones graduated from Clemson University with a Master of Science degree in Computer Science with a concentration in Interactive Computing. Finally, Dr. Jones earned a Ph.D. in Human-Centered Computing from the University of Florida where her research included usable voting systems, interactive tutoring systems, culturally relevant learning, and broadening participation in STEM. Dr. Jones is the creator of CodeIT Day, a program that introduced middle school students to Computer Science via robotics while providing examples of diversity in Computing through the program’s volunteer staff. Dr. Jones is a proud and active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® and enjoys using her technical skillset to assist the organization and to serve the community.
July 17, 2024 15:00

Poster Talks Electrical Engineering

Studio 1
Michelle Pirrone, ONR, University of Colorado Boulder
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Michelle Pirrone
University of Colorado Boulder/ National Institue of Standards and Technology

Michelle Pirrone

Michelle Pirrone is currently a fourth year PhD student at the University of Colorado Boulder. She is currently performing research for her PhD at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the Communication Technology Laboratory (CTL), where she is developing test methodologies for interference testing in communication systems and exploring the impacts of various signal characteristics on victim systems, with the aim of creating appropriate proxy signals for testing.
July 17, 2024 15:00

Poster Talks Biosciences

Kelly Platfoot, AFOSR, Virginia Common Wealth University, (2021 Fellow)

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Kelly Platfoot
Virginia Commonwealth University

Kelly Platfoot

I am a member of the 2021 fellowship class and a rising 6th year Neuroscience PhD student at VCU in the lab of Andrew Ottens. After serving 5 years in the Marine Corps, I used my GI Bill to pay for school to pursue my dream of researching Huntington's Disease and neurodegeneration in general. My graduate research has given me further interest in biomarker identification and utilization.
July 17, 2024 15:15

Poster Talks Material Science

Studio 8

Jessica Zamarripa, AFOSR, Texas A&M University

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Jessica Zamarripa
Texas A&M University

Jessica Zamarripa

Jessica Jeneve Zamarripa is currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University. Her research work focuses on understanding a range of processes and fabrication options toward physical realization of using eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn) liquid metal (LM) and shape memory alloys (SMAs) to develop electrical circuits/sensors. Her doctoral work is under the guidance of Dr. Darren Hartl, associate professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Jessica received two prestigious awards, the 2022 National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship and the National GEM Consortium Ph.D. Engineering and Science Fellowship. As part of her GEM fellowship, she was selected by NASA headquarters to become a GEM Employer Fellow. Outside of her academic work, Jessica has worked closely with NASA Johnson Space Center under the Battery Systems Test, Design and Analysis group as a Graduate Student Trainee.
July 17, 2024 15:00

Poster Talks Material Science

Studio 8

Shinya Wai, ONR, University of Chicago

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Shinya Wai
University of Chicago

Shinya Wai

Shinya received a B.S. in NanoEngineering at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in 2020. At UCSD, he worked in Dr. Nisarg Shah’s lab. In Dr. Shah’s lab, Shinya worked on the application of immune checkpoint molecules and hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. In 2019, Shinya was selected to be part of the Amgen Scholars Program at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). At UCLA, he worked at Dr. Andrea Kasko’s lab and synthesized polymeric tobacco tar mimics for testing the effects of cigarette smoke on the immune system. At the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago, Shinya is co-advised by Dr. Matthew Tirrell and Dr. Sihong Wang. Currently, Shinya is working on the development of conducting polymeric materials with the capability to mitigate the foreign body response for applications in implantable electronics. His work involves taking advantage of the antifouling properties of zwitterionic polymers and using immunomodulatory agents to impart immune-compatibility to conducting polymers.
July 17, 2024 15:15

Poster Talks Electrical Engineering

Studio 1
Brett Ringel, AFOSR, Georgia Institute of Technology
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Brett Ringel
Georgia institute of Technology

Brett Ringel

I am currently a Ph.D. Student at the Georgia Institute of Technology and have worked as a graduate researcher for Ohio State, an intern at Asymmetric Technologies, and a researcher for MIT Lincoln Labs. As a result of my roles as a researcher and an engineering intern, I have experience in both non-traditional academic research environments as well as more traditional, R&D based workplaces. I am currently pursuing a career in electrical engineering to further expand my skills in areas of interest to me, notably analog and digital circuit design as well as semiconductor physics and photonics, allowing me to contribute to the field with the experience gained.
July 17, 2024 15:30

Poster Talks Electrical Engineering

Studio 1
Sydney Sofronici, ONR, University of Pennsylvania
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Sydney Sofronici
University of Pennsylvania

Sydney Sofronici

Sydney Acosta received her B.S. degree in biomedical engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN in 2020. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree under the guidance of Dr. Troy Olsson with the Electrical and Systems Engineering Department at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests include the design and development of multiferroic microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors for biomedical applications. She is a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellow sponsored by the USA Office of Naval Research.
July 17, 2024 15:30

Former Fellow Technical Presentation

Galerie Ballroom (1,2,3), 2nd Floor

Using insect antennae as biohybrid sensors for dynamic aerial chemical localization

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Melanie Anderson, PhD
University of Washington

Melanie Anderson, PhD

Dr. Melanie Anderson received her doctorate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. During her doctoral research, she developed the “Smellicopter”, a palm-sized autonomous biohybrid drone platform using a living moth antenna as a chemical sensor which can seek out the source of a chemical plume using a biohybrid search strategy. She is currently a Washington Research Foundation postdoctoral fellow in the Biology department at the University of Washington, working on chemical discrimination using biohybrid sensors and to commercialize her technology.
July 17, 2024 16:00

Poster Talks Electrical Engineering

Studio 1
Alexander Ware, AFOSR, University of Texas at Austin
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Alexander Ware
UT Austin Mid-IR Photonics

Alexander Ware

Alexander is a graduate student in the Electrical Engineering department of the University of Texas at Austin. He works with the UT Mid-IR Photonics Group on the development of materials and devices for use in the mid-infrared.
July 17, 2024 16:00

Empowering Inventions

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
ACTIVATE & NSIN Presentation on Research and Entrepreneurships
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Rick Kempinski
Activate Global

Rick Kempinski

July 17, 2024 16:45

BREAK

July 17, 2024 17:05

Fellows To Stand Next to Posters

Poster Hall Foyer
Fellows who presented that day only to stand next to posters
July 17, 2024 17:05

Evaluator Sessions

Poster Hall Presentation Rooms
Evaluators to meet in In the same room as the discipline presentations
July 18, 2024 07:30

Attendee and Career Fair/Exhibitor Registration

Registration Desk
Stop at the Registration desk for Check-in, Badge and Questions
July 18, 2024 08:00

Post-Doc Opportunities

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
Opportunities with Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), National Acadamies of Science (NAS), Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)
July 18, 2024 08:30

AI Presentation

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor

Artificial Intelligence Presentation as it pertains to DoD

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Jeff Ellen, PhD
Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific

Jeff Ellen, PhD

Dr. Jeff Ellen is a Research Scientist at the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific (NIWC Pacific) in San Diego, CA. He started at NIWC after earning a BS and Masters in Computer Science from the University of Illinois. As an engineer, he was part of a team that built a text chat software architecture that was used on 1000s of US Navy workstations aboard ships. He also was part of a team building a patented gesture-recognition glove and lead other investigations using natural language processing and machine learning. He returned to school with support from NIWC and the SMART program, and earned a PhD in Computer Science from The University of Californa San Diego. His dissertation research, conducted at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, used deep learning and context metadata to improve plankton image classification. Since then, he has continued executing machine learning experiments, especially on images, and building systems for oceanographic data collection such as the DARPA Ocean of Things program. In addition to mentoring NIWC co-workers, he has mentored 19 academic interns/co-ops, spanning high school, undergraduate, graduate, Naval Officers, and summer faculty.
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Pete Khooshabeh, PhD
DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory

Pete Khooshabeh, PhD

Dr. Peter Khooshabeh is a cognitive scientist and ARL West Regional Lead, which comprises the broader Pacific region foundational science and technology workforce for the United States Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s (DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory) research laboratory (ARL). As the first regional site for the Army in the West Coast region that started in 2016, ARL West represents core competencies of humans in complex systems, military information science, biotechnology science, and photonics, electronic, and quantum sciences. In his role as regional lead, he cultivates trusted partnerships through technical business development to solve complex problems for the Army S&T Enterprise. ARL West partnerships provides fundamental knowledge and pathways to operationalize science towards new warfighter capabilities. Dr. Khooshabeh oversees the daily operation of a combination of 40 government civilians and contractors, including students, postdoctoral fellows, and visiting researchers. Prior to leading ARL West, he was a team leader and research psychologist in the ARL Human Research and Engineering Directorate, embedded as a field office within the Army’s Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) at the University of Southern California since 2010. As a team leader, he built several collaborations across the ICT and the Army’s Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies (ICB), an Army University Affiliated Research Center (UARC). Dr. Khooshabeh has been a principal investigator on projects that leverage wearable physiological sensors for improved human machine integration; as well as fundamental and applied esearch on training effectiveness for immersive simulations. He has over 60 peerreviewed publications in the areas of cognitive science and human-computer interaction. Dr. Khooshabeh has also contributed to research projects across a multitude of government and defense research labs such as the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Lab, NASA Ames Research Center and Air Force Research Lab, in addition to private industry at IBM Research. Having had prior experience working with venture capitalists intersecting with academic research and within a venturedbacked (unicorn) startup, he was competitively selected as a Defense Ventures (DV) Fellow, a program of funded by Air Force (AF)Ventures. As a DV Fellow, he works to strengthen private sector relationships, especially with nontraditional companies, with DoD innovators and identify ways to partner on technical investments and capability developments. Dr. Khooshabeh graduated with high honors with a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and earned his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Psychological and Brain Sciences from the University of California at Santa Barbara, all in the field of cognitive science with emphasis in computational modeling.
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Steven Rogers PhD
US Air Force

Steven Rogers PhD

Dr. Steven K. "CAP" Rogers is a U.S. Air Force Senior Scientist focused on artificial intelligence enabled Autonomy at Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force, Ohio. Dr. Rogers initiates, technically plans, coordinates, evaluates and conducts research and development to advance artificial intelligence enabled autonomy. Dr. Rogers provides technical leadership to the AFRL Autonomy Capability Team (ACT3) in the rapid advancement of autonomy R&D to operationalize AI at scale for the U.S. Air Force and Space Force. Dr. Rogers’ personal research focuses on Qualia Exploitation of Sensing Technology(QuEST); how to build autonomous systems by replicating the engineering characteristics of consciousness. Dr. Rogers has had an extensive career in both government service and civilian industry. He retired from the Air Force after 20 years active-duty service, beginning his Air Force career as a flightline enlisted logistics specialist. He was later commissioned though the Airman Education and Commissioning Program and assigned as research engineer developing of a new high order programming language. Following the completion of his advanced degrees he served as a professor at the Air Force Institute of Technology for more than a decade. While at AFIT he directed research efforts in areas that included identification of targets in a variety of sensors. He also did ground-breaking work in learning algorithms. As Founder, President, CEO and Chief Scientist of Qualia Computing, Inc., later CADx Systems and then iCAD, Inc., Dr. Rogers led the effort to bring intelligent information processing to women's healthcare. Under his direction the company not only became the leader in mammography computer-aided design, it also developed a multi-modality CAD platform to facilitate the quick and efficient application of the technology to many medical detection problems. Dr. Rogers also has worked on developing practical applications of advanced information processing techniques for other medical products. He has authored several hundred publications and has been awarded more than 20 patents. EDUCATION 1978 Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, with honors, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs 1981 Master of Science, Electrical Engineering (electro optics), Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio 1984 Doctor of Philosophy, Electrical Engineering, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
July 18, 2024 09:35

Former Fellow Technical Presentation

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
Completely Dry Solid-State Batteries and the Path to High Silicon Content Anodes
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Kevin Gao, PhD
Blue Current

Kevin Gao, PhD

Kevin Gao graduated from Caltech in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, and completed his PhD in chemical engineering at UC Berkeley as a NDSEG fellow. His PhD work focused on the ion transport and thermodynamics of polymer electrolytes with lithium battery applications. He is now developing silicon anodes as a battery scientist at Blue Current, a solid-state battery startup. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer.
July 18, 2024 09:55

SMART Program

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
Overview of DoD's Smart, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART)
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Marcus Smith, PhD
Department of Defense (DoD) SMART

Marcus Smith, PhD

Dr. Marcus Smith currently serves as the Deputy Program Manager for the Department of Defense (DoD) Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship-for-Service Program. A former SMART scholar himself, Dr. Smith’s journey with the DoD began in April 2011 when he became a civilian Materials Engineer at Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). In 2014 Marcus was selected as an Air Force retention recipient of the SMART Scholarship attending Georgia Institute of Technology. He earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering in 2019. Prior to his current role as SMART Deputy Program Manager, Marcus held key positions at the AFRL. Most notable, Marcus was the first Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Officer, where he developed and implemented the organization’s inaugural DEIA action plan, fostering inclusivity across an enterprise of over 11,000 members. His efforts have enhanced the workplace culture and driven recruitment, retention, and development initiatives. Previous duties include being a research engineer in the Aerospace Systems Directorates Fuels and Energy Branch, working on novel and innovative techniques to enable in situ fuel diagnostic capabilities for coke formation and jet fuel contamination with undesirable fuel species. EDUCATION 2008 Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, Minor Business Administration, University of Dayton 2010 Masters of Science, Materials Engineering, University of Dayton 2019 Doctor of Philosophy, Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology 2023 Cornell Certified Diversity Practitioner, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University
July 18, 2024 10:15

Breaks (SNACKS/Marriott)

Breaks (SNACKS/Marriott)
July 18, 2024 10:30

Research Security Fireside Chat

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor

Dr. Bindu Nair, Director of Basic Research, OUSD(R&E) and

Dr. Arun Seraphin, Executive Director National Defense Industrial Association , Emerging Technologies Institute, Former NDSEG Fellow 

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Bindu Nair, PhD
Department of Defense

Bindu Nair, PhD

Dr. Bindu Nair was appointed to the Senior Executive Service (SES) in March 2020 and is now serving as the Director of Basic Research within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD). In this role, she is responsible for oversight and coordination of the Department’s $2.5 billion investment in basic science. This investment supports high risk and high pay-off basic research projects in fields including physical science, life science, environmental science, applied mathematics, and others that probe the limits of today’s technologies and discover new phenomena and know‐how that may ultimately lead to future technologies for the Department. From 2012-2017, Dr. Nair served in various roles including Acting Director and Deputy Director in the Human Performance, Training and Biosystems (HPT&B) Directorate within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In this role, Dr. Nair was involved in overseeing a broad range of DoD’s science and technology programs that support Warfighter effectiveness. Her specific areas of responsibilities in the office were in environmental technologies, bio-assist technologies (for exoskeletons and prosthetics), human machine teaming, and social behavioral modeling in the information environment. Prior to her assignment to OUSD, Dr. Nair worked for the Department of the Army with oversight responsibilities over the science and technology program in power and energy. She has worked in the DoD laboratory system at Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center as well as in private industry at Foster Miller (Waltham, MA). Her research expertise is in the field of Material Science and Engineering including nanomaterials, polymers, and organic electronic materials, and she has taught graduate level courses in Polymer Synthesis. She has published primarily in membrane and materials development fields and holds patents in fuel cell technologies. Dr. Nair holds a B.Sc. from the University of Florida and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Materials Science and Engineering.
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Arun Seraphin, PhD
NDIA - Emerging Technologies Institute

Arun Seraphin, PhD

Dr. Arun Seraphin is the Executive Director of The Emerging Technologies Institute (ETI). He was promoted from his previous position as the Deputy Director of ETI in May 2023. Before joining the ETI team, a Professional Staff Member on the staff of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services. His areas of responsibility include acquisition policy, Pentagon management issues, Department of Defense’s science and technology programs, information technology systems, technology transition issues, defense laboratories, Small Business Innovation Research program, manufacturing programs, and test and evaluation programs. As such he assists Senators in their oversight of DOD policies and programs, including in the authorization of budgets, civilian nominations, legislative initiatives, and hearings. He rejoined the committee staff in 2014, after previously serving there between 2001 and 2010. In 2009, he was named one of ten Defense “Staffers to Know” by Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper. From 2010 to 2014, Dr. Seraphin served as the Principal Assistant Director for National Security and International Affairs at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). During this time, he both led (in an Acting capacity) and served as the deputy director of the OSTP National Security and International Affairs division. His areas of responsibility included developing and implementing White House initiatives and policies in areas including defense research and engineering; weapons of mass destruction; defense manufacturing and industrial base; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education; cybersecurity; and promoting innovation in government research and engineering organizations. He also led interagency groups on small business programs and on improving the quality of the Federal STEM workforce. He was on detail to OSTP from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) where he was the Special Assistant for Policy Initiatives to the Director of DARPA. Dr. Seraphin has also worked on the United States House of Representatives Committee on Science’s Subcommittee on Research as a professional staff member. He began his work in Congress in the Office of Senator Joseph Lieberman as the 1999-2000 Materials Research Society – Optical Society of America Congressional Science and Engineering Fellow. In these positions, he covered both civilian and defense research and development programs. Between 1996 and 2000, Dr. Seraphin worked in the Science and Technology Division of the Institute for Defense Analyses, where his research included work on defense technology transition, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), export controls, technology forecasting, and international research cooperation. His work included detailed technical analyses supporting the DARPA MEMS program, the Army Science and Technology Master Plan, and the Military Critical Technologies Program. In 1996, Dr. Seraphin earned a Ph.D. in Electronic Materials from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he performed research on silicon nanotechnology. His research focused on the development of novel silicon nanostructures and tailoring their optical properties. He also holds bachelor’s degrees in Political Science with a concentration in American Government and Engineering Science with a concentration in Materials Science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
July 18, 2024 11:20

AAAS Fellows Discussion Panel

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
Panel Discussion
July 18, 2024 11:20

DOD Research Discipline Breakout - Aeronautical/Astronautical

Studio 1
Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering NDSEG Fellows
July 18, 2024 11:20

DOD Research Discipline Breakout - Computer Science

Studio 1
Computer Science NDSEG Fellows
July 18, 2024 11:20

DOD Research Discipline Breakout - Physics

Studio 1
Physics NDSEG Fellows
July 18, 2024 11:20

DOD Research Discipline Breakout - Civil Engineering

Studio 1
Civil Engineering NDSEG Fellows
July 18, 2024 11:55

SMART Former & SEED Discussion Panel

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
Panel Discussion
July 18, 2024 11:55

DOD Research Discipline Breakout - Biosciences

Studio 10
Biosciences NDSEG Fellows
July 18, 2024 11:55

DOD Research Discipline Breakout - Chemistry

Studio 1
Chemistry NDSEG Fellows
July 18, 2024 11:55

DOD Research Discipline Breakout - Mechanical Engineering

Studio 3
Mechanical Engineering NDSEG Fellows
July 18, 2024 11:55

DOD Research Discipline Breakout - Chemical Engineering

Studio 8
Chemical Engineering NDSEG Fellows
July 18, 2024 12:30

AAAS Fellows Discussion Panel

Galerie Ballrooms (1,2,3), 2nd Floor
Panel Discussion
July 18, 2024 12:30

DOD Research Discipline Breakout - Mathematics

Studio 3
Mathematics NDSEG Fellows
July 18, 2024 12:30

DOD Research Discipline Breakout - Material Science

Studio 1
Material Science and Engineering NDSEG Fellows
July 18, 2024 12:30

DOD Research Discipline Breakout - Geosciences

Studio 8
Geosciences NDSEG Fellows
July 18, 2024 13:05

DOD Research Discipline Breakout - Electrical Engineering

Studio 10
Electrical Engineering NDSEG Fellows
July 18, 2024 13:05

DOD Research Discipline Breakout - Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering

Studio 8
Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering/ Oceanography NDSEG Fellows
July 18, 2024 13:05

DOD Research Discipline Breakout - Cognitive, Neural and Behavioral Science

Studio 3
Cognitive Neural & Behavioral Science NDSEG Fellows
July 18, 2024 13:35

BREAK

July 18, 2024 13:40

LUNCH

Galerie Ballroom (123)
July 18, 2024 14:40

Closing Ceremonies

Galerie Ballroom (123)

2:40 - 2:45 Opening Remarks: Dr. Jen Becker

2:45 - 3:15 Guest Speaker: Dr. Bindu Nair, Director of Basic Research

3:15 - 3:25 Break

3:25 - 4:30 Awards Ceremony

4:30 - 4:45 Closing Remarks:  

4:45 - 5:00 Retiring of Colors

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Ivory Chaney
Army Research Laboratory-Army Research Office (ARO)

Ivory Chaney

Ivory Chaney, MBA, PACE, is the Educational Outreach Program Manager at the Army Research Laboratory’s Army Research Office (ARO). She manages and oversees the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) that encompasses more than 100 high school and undergraduate apprenticeships at more than 50 universities to attract top STEM talent to the Army. Ms. Chaney also oversees local and national STEM outreach initiatives and heads the Army’s participation in the tri-service National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship Program for up to 150 fellows each year. Ms. Chaney served 21 years in the Marine Corps Reserves with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. During her tenure, she was responsible for serving in a variety of leadership roles as well as serving as an inspector for the 2nd Marine Division that managed assets of more than $5 billion. She received the Joint Commendation Medal for exceptional service, multiple Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and the Army Commendation Medal for Civilian Service. Ms. Chaney also serves as a certified Sexual Assault Victim Advocate for the Department of Defense and Collateral Duty Equal Employment Opportunity Counselor. She earned both a Masters and Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Liberty University. Additionally, she holds a certification in project management from Cornell University. ARO is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory, the Army's national research laboratory also known as DEVCOM ARL.
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William Ellis
Office of Naval Research

William Ellis

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Barton Halpern, PhD
DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory

Barton Halpern, PhD

Dr. Halpern was appointed to the rank of Senior Executive Service (SES) in April 2019 and assigned as the Director of the Army Research Office (ARO), DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, at Research Triangle Park, Durham, North Carolina. In this role, Dr. Halpern is responsible for setting and executing the nationwide extramural research agenda and programs on Army focused basic research in the engineering, physical, life, mathematical, computer, and information, and social sciences to provide critical enhancements to current warfighter needs and revolutionary advances required for technological dominance of the future force with emphasis on the Army's Modernization Priorities. The ARO research portfolio exceeds over $750 million, including single investigator research (1,300 active projects performed by approximately 3,500 researchers both nationally and internationally). The research is conducted at over 250 universities, in collaboration with the Army laboratory community.
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William Pat Roach, PhD
Air Force Office of Scientific Research/CL

William Pat Roach, PhD

Dr. William P. Roach, a member of the Scientific and Professional Cadre of Senior Executives, is Chief Scientist, Air Force Office of Scientific Research Arlington Va. Dr. Roach is the principal science and technology adviser to the Director in matters of formulation, planning, managing and integration of all Air Force basic research programs. The office has a staff of roughly 200 people and an annual working budget nearly $500 million that support more than 5,000 worldwide basic research projects critical to the defense of the U.S. The office selects, sponsors, and manages research relevant to Air and Space Force needs in science and technology, and is the single manager for the entire Air and Space Force basic research programs. Dr. Roach began his career as an enlisted member of the United States Air Force in 1971 serving with the 23rd TFW, the 388th TFW, the 90th SMW, and the 442nd TFW. He received a direct commission to Captain in 1990 after receiving his Ph.D. in Physics and assigned to the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, Optical Radiation Bioeffects Division Brooks AFB, TX. Upon retirement from the active duty with the Air Force in 2005, Dr. Roach joined the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)’s Human Effectiveness Directorate, Special Operations and Projects Division as a Senior Research Physicist. Academically Dr. Roach has served as Professor of Preventative Medicine and Biometrics at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences from 1996-2001, Adjunct Professor of Physics University of Texas San Antonio in 2010, Adjunct Associate Professor of Physics Delaware State University 2017-2018 and Research Professor Vanderbilt University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering 2017-2019. Dr. Roach has authored and co-authored over 175 refereed and non-refereed journal and proceedings articles, over 1000 conference presentations, technical reports, conference publications, and edited two books. Google Scholar list Professor William P. Roach as achieving 2464 Citations, an h-index of 26 and an i10-index of 48.
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Ellen Robinson
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)

Ellen Robinson

Ellen M. Robinson is a Senior General Engineer in the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Science and Engineering Division, Science and Engineering Collaboration Branch, Arlington, VA. Mrs. Robinson has served over eight years as a Program Manager for AFOSR STEM workforce development initiatives within the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) (AFRL) enterprise. She manages the AFRL Science and Technology Fellowship Program (STFP), the AFOSR Young Investigators Research Program (YIP), and the AFOSR Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE). Mrs. Robinson also serves as the AFRL Program Manager and the Department of Defense (DoD) Program Manager for the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) Program. She currently serves as the Contracting Officer Representative for two STEM fellowship program contracts. These programs are crucial in developing and bolstering the DoD STEM future pipeline for scientists and engineers (S&Es) in DoD relevant research areas and shaping future DoD research needs. These programs also support post-docs and senior researchers whose research aligns and supports the DoD and Department of the Air Force (DAF), including the United States Space Force, missions. In these roles, she develops STEM workflow development policies in innovative, high risk high reward research, plans and executes budgets totaling over $200M annually for early career scientists and engineers and STEM graduate scholars.Since joining the Air Force as a civilian in November 1989, Mrs. Robinson has served in several roles in the Aeronautical Systems Center and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) including avionics design and laser optical communications design engineer, business and financial management, strategic development planning and programming. Prior to her current assignment, Mrs. Robinson was Deputy Program Manager in the STEM development office where she developed an AF wide K-12 AF STEM Outreach education program establishing policies and programs to interest K-12 students in STEM academic studies and careers of AF mission needs. She was instrumental in establishing the AF blueprint in the DoD STEM portfolio. She also co-authored with her DoD sister services STEM workforce development initiatives for near, mid, and far term.She has used her depth of experience in strategic planning, budgeting, and execution in forecasting specific STEM needs vital for the future workforce as it relates to DoD and DAF missions.
July 19, 2024 17:00

PICTURES-Fellows Group Photo

Preservation Hall -Where the Exhibit Hall was Located

Fellows to stay 15 minutes for group Class photo by sponsor

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